


Winds of Fate

by Aria_Lerendeair



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Arson, Badass Hannah, Badass Mary Winchester, Badass Winchesters, Crowley has stupid henchmen, Cuddling, Evil Crowley, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I know I missed some tags but that covers most of them, Kidnapping, M/M, Mutual Pining, Overprotective Winchesters, Paparazzi harassment, Pretty much everyone is a badass in this fic, Roughing Up, figure skating, human!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-05-11 02:01:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 77,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5609629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Lerendeair/pseuds/Aria_Lerendeair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam didn’t mean to fall in love with the figure skater who came to his rink every morning for practice.  It just kinda, happened.   Unfortunately, Castiel’s hiding some stuff too and they need to figure it out, before Castiel’s past catches up with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had some absolutely amazing art made for me by Emma the Slayer!!! See the link and make sure to comment on it, because it is really freaking awesome! http://emmatheslayer.livejournal.com/301769.html
> 
> Make sure to check it out! 
> 
> This fic definitely surprised me with how long it is! It's the second longest fic I've ever written behind Together We Soar. But I loved every single second of writing this particular fic, so I hope that you like reading it.
> 
> Chinese Translation by Innocent Days: https://weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404176624206634272

 

 

Sam leaned back against the wall of the rink and inhaled the scent of the fresh ice. There was nothing quite like it, especially after he’d laid down a fresh layer for the figure skater coming in this morning. He yawned and covered his mouth. Nothing like having a spoiled brat come in and take over the rink for a few hours.

 

At least any complaints she might have with her coach he could laugh at. Sam pushed his fingers through his hair and waited for the front doorbell to go off. Four in the morning. Who on earth wanted to train at four in the morning?

 

It was too early for anyone remotely civilized to be awake, himself included. Five am he could manage. Earlier and you were going to bed when the sun was still up. He yawned again and this time didn’t bother to hide it. The buzzer above the door sounded and Sam groaned, pushing himself off the railing to head towards the door. Time to meet Castiel, whoever she was.

 

Sam opened the front door and managed a grin. The young man waiting for him must be her coach. He certainly looked like a figure skater. Right build and height. "Morning. Want to come in while we wait?"

 

"Wait? Wait for whom?"

 

Sam blinked. Shit, was Castiel a boys name? _Right_. Nothing quite like starting off with insulting a figure skater. _Great_. Now he'd probably have to deal with more bitchy behavior. "Uh, your coach?"

 

"He won't be attending these sessions. Or any sessions, going forward. Is that a problem?"

 

Sam shrugged and turned to lead Castiel towards the rink. "I don't care one way or another. Rink is this way!"

 

He could feel the frown being sent his way by Castiel and had to fight down another grin. Yeah, he could be bitchy too. This is what he deserved after demanding a four am open.

 

"I requested that the owner of the rink meet me here to discuss my requirements. Will he be along soon?" Castiel asked, striding along behind the other man.

 

Sam snorted and held open the door to the rink, waiting for Castiel to pass through before he hit the rest of the lights. The outside of the building was nothing impressive to look at, but the inside was a state of the art equipment. He knew where and how to spend his money.

 

"If you think I was going to demand any of my guys get up at 3am to open and get the rink ready for you, you don't know a thing about managing people," Sam said, giving a slow stretch as he yawned.

 

"You're Sam Winchester?" Castiel asked, turning to the tall man.

 

Sam laughed. "The one and only Mister Novak. The rest of my staff will be here around nine am."

 

Castiel frowned. "Is that when your rink normally opens?"

 

Sam turned to stare at the disgruntled figure skater. "Nah, the rink normally opens around noon. While this might be Minnesota, we don’t have a lot of demand to open earlier. Wasn’t cost-effective for me to do so.”

 

Castiel stared at Sam. “Yet you opened at four-”

 

“Because you asked nicely and didn’t argue with the price I set to go outside my normal operating hours,” Sam said, smiling a little as he leaned against the railing of the rink. “Hook up to the sound system is over there,” he pointed a little further to the left, waiting for Castiel to look after he pointed. “Lockers and changing rooms are over there, you’ll pretty much have the run of the place this early,” he yawned and stretched.

 

“Very well,” Castiel said, settling his bag against a hip a little more easily. “I had several points which I wish to discuss with you about-”

 

“Hold on,” Sam said, brushing his fingers through his hair. “I’m more than willing to discuss whatever the hell you need, but you’ve got to let me get at least one cup of coffee in me before we do.” He turned and headed for his office. “You’re welcome to tag along!” he called out.

 

When Castiel didn’t appear immediately, Sam figured that the skater had passed on it, but when he turned around Castiel was waiting in the doorway of his office. He managed not to jump and glared at the other man. “Make some noise, would you?”

 

Castiel blinked in confusion. "Why do I need to make any sort of noise? Are you deaf?"

 

Sam laughed and shook his head, taking a sip of his coffee. "Not by a long stretch, but you certainly don't make any noise when you move and it's a bit startling to turn around and suddenly see you here."

 

"Ah," Castiel said. He glanced at the cup in Sam's hand.

 

Sam waited for Castiel to ask for a cup of the coffee himself, but the figure skater seemed awkward enough standing there in his office at an ungodly hour of the morning, so Sam took pity on him. "Did you come up for a cup of coffee, or did you need something else?"

 

"A cup of coffee would be very nice, thank you Sam," Castiel said, glancing around the office. He noticed several pictures of two men playing hockey together and gravitated towards them.

 

Sam noticed where Castiel was looking and smiled. "Part of my unofficial career in hockey. I lasted about six months before I got a permanent injury."

 

Castiel frowned and turned to look at Sam again. "You do not move as though you are injured. What injury did you sustain?"

 

"I think you need to buy me dinner before we start discussing my life story, don't you think, Cas?" Sam asked, chuckling as he took another sip of the coffee.

 

"Cas?"

 

"Shit, sorry, are you one of those people who doesn't like nicknames? I kinda give them out on habit, and I didn't mean to-"

 

"It's quite all right," Castiel interrupted. "I've never had a nickname before."

 

Sam blinked and finished pouring Castiel the cup of coffee. "You've never had a nickname?"

 

"No. Should I have?" Castiel asked, tilting his head as he accepted the cup from Sam.

 

"Well, you don't have a traditional name, so I wouldn't be surprised, but hey. Whatever. Maybe your name was the normal one among you and your family and friends," Sam said, finishing off his first cup and moving to the keurig for the second.

 

Castiel took a sip and gave a slow inhale. "Considering I have a brother that is named Lucifer, you would be very accurate in that assessment."

 

Sam nearly spit out his coffee and laughed, hard. "Seriously?"

 

"Yes," Castiel said, smiling at the sight of Sam laughing. He frowned and focused on his cup again. He could not afford to be distracted. "He went by Luke, for obvious reasons."

 

Sam shook his head and settled down behind his desk. "Man, I don't envy you guys growing up, you must have been teased to within an inch of your lives."

 

Castiel hummed in agreement. "We did indeed share our fair amount of teasing. Children, especially when young, can be cruel."

 

"Children, Cas, you can't be that old, especially in the world of competitive figure skating. What are you? Twenty one? Twenty two?" Sam asked, chuckling a little bit.

 

Castiel straightened and gave Sam a small glare. "I am twenty four."

 

Sam smiled over his cup and put it down on the desk. "All right, have a seat. You said you had questions for me, and I want to get this taken care of. You're paying me a great deal of money to have the place open this early, so I want to do what I can to take care of you."

 

"Of course," Castiel said, taking a breath and clearing his throat.

 

Sam waited, patiently, while Castiel gathered his thoughts. It was clear that there was something troubling the figure skater. He spent a moment wondering exactly what it could be before Castiel opened his mouth again.

 

"I was involved in a scandal," Castiel explained, looking down at the cup that he was holding.

 

"Cheating?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. Even though he'd known the man for no more than ten minutes, that definitely didn't seem like Castiel's style, but the world of competition did that to some people, and the result was not always pretty.

 

"No," Castiel snapped, frowning at Sam and then looking back down to the brown liquid in the cup. "I would never cheat, and I don't like the implication that I would do so."

 

"I'm sorry," Sam said, holding up his hand. "That's what scandals are normally about in these types of environments. I made an assumption, I'm sorry if it was an inaccurate one. No offense was meant."

 

Castiel took a deep breath and exhaled. "I made the, perhaps very naive mistake of being in a relationship with my coach."

 

Sam winced. " _Shit_."

 

Castiel gave a quick smile. "Indeed."

 

"So I'm guessing that blew up, since it explains your lack of coach," Sam said.

 

"If you were to google my name, I believe some of the stories are quite sensational. I am surprised that you didn't do so prior to my reaching out to you," Castiel said, putting the cup of coffee on the edge of Sam's desk. "I do not wish to inconvenience you, but it is very possible that we will have reporters and paparazzi here once they know where I am."

 

Sam whistled. "How bad was it?"

 

"What?" Castiel asked.

 

"The breakup. Was it that public?"

 

Castiel sighed and shook his head. "I wished to end the relationship. When I made it clear that I was no longer interested in him, he said he would leave me. He did not think that I would attempt to go into the World Championship without a coach."

 

Sam smiled quickly. "He clearly didn't know you very well then, since it sounds like that is exactly what you did."

 

Castiel smiled again and nodded. "Yes. He was very angry when I informed him that he was fired and that I would be moving away from him to do training on my own."

 

" _Jesus_ ," Sam exhaled, chuckling a little bit. "I bet that caused a pretty epic shitstorm."

 

"Oh yes," Castiel agreed, squirming a little in the chair. "However that isn't all."

 

Sam grinned at Castiel, bright and wide. "Oh? Do tell. Come on, I haven't gotten gossip this good since the last time my brother did something stupid. Which, admittedly, happens quite often, but it's always refreshing when someone else has good gossip."

 

"Crowley accused me of seducing him, and implied that I had slept with some of the judges in past competitions to increase my scores. Said that I was desperate for the win, that I would do anything to make sure that I got it," Castiel said. "I feel it necessary to explain that not only is that extraordinarily out of character for myself, I considered it defamation and I am in the process of suing him."

 

Sam whistled and leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling. That did explain why a figure skater that was pretty well known on the circuit would show up with demands, money and a need to hide at a small gym in Minnesota. "Well, I think that explains a lot."

 

"Will I still be able to skate here?" Castiel asked, tightening his hands in the pants he was wearing.

 

Sam blinked and looked at Castiel sitting across from him. The man's shoulders were hunched and he was chewing on his lower lip. He shoved the thought away of how fucking adorable that was and focused on what Cas has just asked him. "Why the hell wouldn't you?"

 

"After what I just explained-"

 

"After what you just explained, it sounds like you need a bodyguard, someone to watch your back, and a safe place to hide until the World Championship," Sam guessed, taking a closer look at Castiel. Now that he knew what to look for, he could see the exhaustion that was licking at the edge of Castiel's carefully held together facade.

 

"I, yes," Castiel said, clearing his throat as he looked down at his hands. "I do not wish for you to be protectors for me, but if you could assure me that your staff will not release knowledge of my whereabouts-"

 

"Done," Sam said, smiling at Cas. "Anything else you need?"

 

"If, and perhaps I should say when, the paparazzi do find me..." Castiel trailed off and cleared his throat. "Would it be too much to ask if I were to request that your staff not give any information away to them about what I am working on and doing?"

 

Sam nodded. "Of course, Cas. You can guarantee our discretion, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure information doesn't get out. It likely will, just because someone is going to notice you here, but it won't come from us."

 

Some of the tension that was still riding high in Castiel's shoulders suddenly released and he let out a shaky breath of air. "Thank you, Sam."

 

"You don't need to thank me, Cas. Now, what else do you need?"

 

"You don't think I have asked for enough already?" Castiel said, reaching up to rub at his forehead.

 

Sam shrugged. "You're trying to get away from an impossibly rough situation, one that you didn't cause, and the media shitstorm that goes with it. I admire you for being willing to even still go to Worlds after this."

 

Castiel scowled and glared at the coffee cup in front of him. "I resent the implication that I would allow something like this to prevent me from skating."

 

Sam laughed and shook his head, finishing off his second cup of coffee. "Then I won't imply it ever again, you have my word."

 

Castiel nodded. "Thank you."

 

"Yeah, no problem Cas. So, in the meantime, I'll leave you to do your thing, and if you need anything, you let me know, even if it's non-rink related, okay? I grew up around here and I can tell you pretty much everything you want to know," Sam said, standing and stretching. He took a deep breath and ruffled his hair.

 

"Would you," Castiel started to ask, then hesitated. "Would you perhaps know where I could get an excellent burger, and the people there would be discreet?"

 

"I knew I liked you," Sam said, winking at Cas. "Tell you what, you go get your practice and workout in. I'll talk to Ellen, who owns the Roadhouse and makes the best burgers in the state. She'll make sure you can stay hidden. I'll take you over there for a late lunch when you're finished."

 

"You don't have-"

 

"You're right," Sam interrupted. "I don't have to. But you're going through the worst kind of hell and trying to come out on the other side. Sounds like you need a friend right now."

 

"I..." Castiel swallowed and reached out to take the coffee cup again, bringing it up to his lips and taking a slow sip. "You're right. Thank you, Sam."

 

Sam winked and stood up, heading for the door. "All right, help yourself to the rink and facilities. I have some stuff that needs to be cleaned up in the basement. If you need me, holler over the loudspeaker you're hooked up to, I'll hear you."

 

Castiel nodded. "Yes, of course."

 

Sam stretched one more time and headed downstairs. He pushed his fingers through his hair. Less than twenty minutes later, he heard music start upstairs and couldn't help smiling. Well, at least Castiel didn’t hesitate making himself at home.

 

He checked the clock and frowned when it was far too early to get ahold of Dean and let him know about the potential issues they had facing their door. He wouldn't ever push Castiel back out into that unprotected.

 

Frankly, there was something strange about the whole situation. Castiel had come here, where he had no friends, no coach, and no people he knew. Where was everyone else in his life that should be standing by him with this?

 

Sam had some research to do as soon as he finished getting some of the old equipment into storage.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

 

By the time he was done, it was just past ten am and Sam headed back up to his office. Castiel was skating in slow circles around the rink, likely stretching out from some of the more strenuous moves that he had done in his routine. Sam stared at him for a long moment before shaking himself and focusing on the computer in his office.

 

He needed to get to the bottom of what was going on.

 

His phone chimed only seconds after he had sat down. 'How's the prima donna figure skater? Is she legal? Hot?'

 

Sam rolled his eyes and ignored his brother for a moment, powering up the computer. He searched Castiel's name and his eyes widened at the large amount of articles that suddenly popped up. " _Jesus_ ," he whispered.

 

**_Castiel Novak and Crowley McLeod In A Relationship?!_ **

 

**_Castiel Novak Sleeps With Judges for Scores - Full Story Inside_ **

 

"Castiel seduced me and I'm not the first. He's always using whatever method he can to get the scores he wants,"

 

Sam flinched at the video that started playing. The older man saying it just looked skeevy and was playing at injured. He glanced down at the ice and shook his head. Castiel was awkward as they came, there was no way that he could easily seduce someone.

 

There was a press conference it looked like Castiel had held two weeks ago. He looked pale and exhausted. Sam took a deep breath and pushed his fingers through his hair. He hit play on the video and watched as Castiel, his voice trembling, explain that he and Crowley had been in a relationship since he was eighteen, and that he had decided to end it this year. He also faced the accusations that he had slept with judges, declaring it an insult to his ability as a figure skater and to those judges, many of whom had families.

 

The crowd of reporters responded well, but Sam could tell that the speech had taken far more out of Cas than it should have. He exhaled again, hard and stared at the video as questions started to be thrown at the figure skater, fast and furious, all of them questioning his abilities, and some calling for all of his scores and medals to be thrown out.

 

Castiel wilted under every question, trying to answer them. There was no one standing next to him, no one offering him even a modicum of support and he scowled. Where was his family? Where were his friends who should believe Castiel without question? Where was the rest of the figure skating world?

 

Angrily, Sam watched to the end of the video and started reading through the articles. Other figure skaters, both male and female, did speak out in favor of Castiel, but their voices were completely drowned out in the wake and the interest of the scandal itself. Why care about anything like this when you could have a scandal that would rock the figure skating world to its core?

 

Castiel had even been in contention for the American Olympic team, especially if he made a good showing at World's, but now previous coaches were coming out and saying they would not want someone with a scandal like that attached, even _if_ Castiel were to perform well. Sam exhaled hard and rubbed a hand over his face. "Jesus, Cas. And you had no one, did you?"

 

"No," Castiel said from the doorway.

 

Sam jumped in his seat and his eyes snapped up to the figure skater.

 

"Am I to assume that you have watched the press releases and read all of the articles? Did you see Crowley's? It was quite impressive, I must say," Castiel said, stepping in closer.

 

Sam studied Cas, and realized what he was seeing. This was the shield that Cas was putting up to prevent himself from being hurt. Cas thought he was going to side with the rest of the world against him and that couldn't be further from the truth.

 

"No," Sam managed. "I didn't watch Crowley's. I don't need to."

 

Castiel tilted his head and stared at Sam. "No?"

 

"No," Sam shook his head. "Anyone can tell that you are telling the truth, they are just far too eager to chase a scandal and want to take advantage of you. You're the victim in this. Where is your family though? You should have had a crowd of people standing with you against this bastard."

 

Castiel blinked in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

 

"Your _family_! Your _friends_! They left you to stand up there for that press conference alone, to be interrogated like some sort of prisoner!" Sam growled, gesturing to the video on his computer. "Where was your emotional support?"

 

"Gabriel, my brother, is head of my Public Relations team. It was his suggestion that I come here, to perhaps find a place far enough away until the storm died down," Castiel explained, stepping into the room.

 

"Where the hell was he?" Sam snapped, glancing down at the video again.

 

Castiel smiled for a second. It was, relieving to see someone that was so determined to be on his side, despite what Crowley and everyone else had said. "He was the one who had written that speech for me. He had been up for almost seventy-two hours straight prior to that conference, trying to handle everything. I told him he looked worse than me and I would go alone."

 

A little bit of the anger drained out of Sam. At least Castiel had not been completely alone in this. He had a brother who cared about him, clearly and wanted to make sure things went the way they should in a situation like this. "Why is this happening?"

 

Castiel frowned. "Why is what happened?"

 

"Why do they all believe him, and not you?"

 

"Ah," Castiel said, looking down at his hands. "That is a longer story, but Crowley is very well-known in figure skating circles. He is the best coach in the business, and it is widely, _widely_ known. He also was a figure skater for many years himself, and has medals to prove it."

 

"What the fuck does that have to do with the price of tea in China?" Sam asked.

 

Castiel blinked in confusion. "I don't understand that reference."

 

Sam barked out a laugh and shook his head. "I don't see what Crowley's standing in the community has to do with believability. Why wouldn't they believe you just as much? I don't get that they would villainize you, versus him."

 

"Ah," Castiel said. "It is more that Crowley has a great deal of influence within the community. There are few who would be willing to cross him."

 

"You did," Sam pointed out.

 

"And I am paying for it, dearly," Castiel said, shrugging his shoulders. "There is nothing further that I can do about it, other than to wait it out, and pray that it will not prevent me from reaching the Olympics."

 

"I'll do whatever I can to make sure that happens," Sam said, smiling. "Now, I'm guessing you came up here for a reason, and not just to see if I was investigating you and your background."

 

"Yes," Castiel said. "I want to know if you have ice baths. I would dearly love to take one, as I will not be able to do so at my hotel."

 

Sam chuckled and stood up. "Yeah, come on. We've got them set up in the locker rooms. I'll need to run the ice machine, so it'll take ten or so minutes."

 

"That is fine, it will take me a few minutes to gather my things together," Castiel said. "I shall head there after I am finished."

 

Sam nodded. "Oh, by the way, if you see another guy, around your height show up, don't be surprised, it's just my brother, he normally heads over around this time."

 

Castiel nodded and made his way back towards the rink.

 

Sam hummed and headed to the locker room, turning on the large icing machine, and filling one of the baths for Cas. He'd have to ask Dean about checking Cas out from a PT perspective. In the meantime, at least he could offer a massage.

 

He filled one bucket and was dumping it into the bath when Castiel re-appeared, this time wearing nothing but black boxer briefs. Sam swallowed hard and snapped his eyes to Castiel's face. Yep, nope, lusting after the figure skaters was Dean's job, not his. He was going to keep his hands very firmly off, especially after the mess that Castiel had dealt with. The last thing he wanted was a relationship.

 

"Here, just finished," Sam said, dumping the bucket of ice into the bath. "Climb on in. We'll get you all settled and good to go in here, and I'll hang out. If you ask really, _really_ nicely, you might get me to massage your back and legs after you're done."

 

Castiel's head snapped up and Sam squirmed under the hard stare he was being given. "What?"

 

"You do not have to offer that to me if you don't wish to," Castiel said, shaking his head. "I will be just fine without it."

 

"Dude, you're going to be sore, and while the ice bath is definitely going to help, you need a massage. Don't make me pull Dean in here. He's got a PT degree and will ream your ass out if you aren't taking care of yourself," Sam said, watching as Castiel sank into the bath gratefully.

 

Castiel closed his eyes and settled back against the rim of the tub. "I would not wish to anger your brother. If you are not too busy with other duties, I would appreciate the massage, and will pay you for the service."

 

"Don't even worry about it," Sam said, stretching. "I'm going to go get the massage oils and stuff. I've already got the table set up over there," he waved towards the table in the corner. "I'll just need to pull it out and get my stuff set up."

 

"Are you a trained masseuse?" Castiel asked, opening one eye to stare at Sam in surprise.

 

Sam shrugged. "Yeah. I was also pre-law at Stanford. When I came back here, due to some family stuff, it was the only job we didn't have someone doing here."

 

"Pre-law?" Castiel asked.

 

Sam chuckled and nodded. "Oh yeah. I wanted to be a prosecutor. Put away all of the bad guys for life. I learned the hard way that lines aren't always as clear cut as that. The politics involved put a bad taste in my mouth, and after my career in hockey went balls up, well, this seemed like the more logical choice."

 

"I see," Castiel said, closing his eyes again. "Thank you, Sam."

 

"You don't need to thank me," Sam said, smiling at Castiel. "I'll be back in a bit and give you some more ice."

 

Castiel grunted at him and Sam took that as agreement and made his way over to the table in the corner, pulling it out and where it needed to be. It was more than large enough to fit Castiel if it could fit Dean comfortably, so now he just needed to pull out towels and all of the oils.

 

Setting up the table took a few minutes and Sam heard noises upstairs, which meant that Dean was here now as well. He smiled. Dean would find them eventually.

 

"Sam?" Castiel called.

 

Sam looked over his shoulder and grinned. "More ice?"

 

"Yes please."

 

Sam reached down and hefted the second bucket he had filled and walked over to the tub. "Are you going to want a third?"

 

Castiel shook his head. "Extremely unlikely."

 

"Okay," Sam said, pouring the ice in slowly. He watched as Cas hissed, his whole body flexing and tensing as the water immediately started to chill. "I promise that the massage will warm you up."

 

Castiel snorted. "Of course."

 

Sam grinned and winked at Cas. "I'm going to head upstairs. Dean is here, and I want to let him know we're down here and that he needs to run the zamboni again before the peewee hockey league comes in."

 

He didn't bother waiting for a response from Cas, he just headed out to the office and found Dean sitting in front of his computer with a frown on his face. "Hey.”

 

"What's this? Taking an interest in figure skating drama suddenly?" Dean asked, gesturing to the computer.

 

Sam chuckled and closed the office door almost the entire way behind him. "That's our figure skater who wanted the rink opened at four am."

 

Dean blinked and stared at the computer and gave a low whistle. "Holy shit, what have we gotten ourselves into?"

 

"A bit of a mess, by the sounds of things, but nothing that the guy himself did. I've talked to him a bit about this and it sounds like he's the victim of an asshole ex-coach of his," Sam said, stretching.

 

"How do you know he's telling the truth?" Dean asked. He held his hands up when Sam growled and glared at him. "Hey, that's a legit question, whether you want to ask it or not, so don't give me that glare."

 

Sam point to the computer. "You watch that press conference, where he has no friends, no family standing up there with him and he is grilled like a fucking criminal. You watch that and try to come back and tell me that he is to blame for any and all of this. If you can do that Dean, I'll be seriously impressed."

 

Dean grunted and looked at the video. "So what were all of his special conditions that he wanted to talk to you about this morning?"

 

Sam shrugged. "Nothing I'm not more than willing to accommodate. Stuff like making sure no one talks about the fact that he's here. That no one talks about the routines he is working on."

 

"Heh," Dean said, clicking on a link and reading through it. "At least he's not much of a prima donna."

 

"He doesn't have any friends, Dean," Sam said, glancing at the door behind him. No need for Castiel to creep up behind him again and surprise him.

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"The only person he had on his side with this, is his brother, who is the head of his PR team. Everyone else sided with his asshole ex-coach since the guy is damn well known in the figure skating world," Sam said, crossing his arms over his chest. "So I'm going to do everything I can to help him."

 

Dean picked up a pen and pointed it at Sam. "You're picking up another stray."

 

Sam shook his head. "No, I'm not, I'm definitely not."

 

"You are," Dean said, smiling a little bit. "You've already decided you want to keep him, look at that protective look on your face."

 

Sam took a deep breath and scowled. "It doesn't matter, even if I do want to keep him, he's definitely not going to stay, so what does it matter?"

 

"You're going to end up hurt," Dean said, pointing a finger at Sam. "You're going to end up head-over-heels for this guy and then when he leaves to go back to his world and leave us in ours, you are going to end up hurt, and I'm not going to be able to help you."

 

Sam sighed. "Dean, I'm an adult, not some lovesick teenager. If I do end up falling for this guy, at least give me the luxury of making the choice for myself."

 

Dean frowned. "Fine. What else does he need?"

 

"He doesn't have anyone. No coach, no trainer, no nothing. I'm going to give him a massage as soon as he's done his ice bath, and then if maybe you could take a look at him?" Sam asked, giving his brother the best puppy dog face that he could manage.

 

"Don't pull those eyes out on me you asshole, you know I'm going to end up helping him. He'll be lucky if we can keep Charlie from wanting to adopt him."

 

Sam laughed and shook his head. "Cas is going to end up with a motley family whether he wants it or not, that's for sure, by the looks of things."

 

"Cas?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow. "You've known the guy for one morning and he's already got a nickname? _Jesus_ , Sam..."

 

"Oh fuck off," Sam growled, turning and heading out of the office. "Now, are you going to sit there and read the stupid fucking gossip mags, or are you going to come meet him?"

 

"Well, I might as well meant the famous 'Cas' who has somehow wormed into your heart after a single day," Dean said, rolling his eyes as he followed Sam down to the locker room.

 

He followed Sam in and went to stand against the wall, taking a look at the man soaking in the bathtub. Dean frowned. The kid was clearly tired. But maybe not that much of a kid. Early, mid-ish twenties. Pretty old for a figure skater, as things went.

 

When blue eyes snapped open to look at him, the name clicked and Dean whistled. "Castiel Novak, figure skating prodigy. Holy shit, Sammy, you sure know how to pick them."

 

Castiel scowled. "And you are?"

 

Sam frowned at his brother and turned to look at Cas, giving him a smile. "This asshole is my older brother, Dean. Please don't mind him being rude, I promise he normally isn't this much of an asshole. Today must be a special exception for him."

 

Dean rolled his eyes. "I didn't place the name until I got a good look at you. Sam, he placed in Worlds at fifteen. That was _unheard_ of. He had to get special dispensation to even _compete_. Mom is gonna fucking flip that he's the figure skater you've taken on."

 

Sam scowled at Dean over his shoulder and then turned to Castiel and smiled. "Sorry. My Mom was a figure skater in her day, maybe you know her? Mary Winchester?"

 

Castiel's eyes widened and he grinned, bright and wide. "She was one of the first to land the triple axel in international competition. She should have won bronze and silver in her Olympics!"

 

Sam laughed and nodded. "Yeah, that's Mom. You can kinda say the whole skating thing is in our blood. She'll be thrilled to meet you, I'm sure."

 

"Meet me?" Castiel asked, shaking his head. "Oh no, please, don't bother her. I don't want to be of any trouble to anyone."

 

"Cas, if we didn't introduce you to our mother, I'm pretty sure that she would skin us both alive. Face the facts, you're going to have to meet her," Dean said, approaching the ice bath. He grinned. This was certainly going to be interesting.

 

"I," Castiel swallowed and looked from Sam, to Dean, before pushing himself out of the bath. "Very well, as long as you are certain that I am not going to be a bother for you."

 

"Nope. Hell, she'll probably want to adopt you, since neither of us picked up the figure skating bug from her," Dean said. He grabbed a nearby towel and offered it to Castiel. "Here, dry off. Sammy gives a mean massage-"

 

"It's Sam," Sam snapped.

 

"And you're going to want to enjoy it to the fullest. How are you feeling? Too sore anywhere? Sam," Dean paused and looked at his brother, smirking widely. "did tell you that I'm a physical trainer, right?"

 

"Yes, he did mention as much," Castiel said, taking the towel off to start to dry himself. "But why are you both helping me?"

 

Dean snorted. "Fuck, you weren't kidding."

 

Sam rolled his eyes and looked down at Cas. "Because you've hired the gym, and that comes with all of the amenities, including personnel. We aren't some professional gym that's going to charge you for every single service, Cas, so let us help."

 

Castiel turned to Dean and frowned. "You called me Cas."

 

"Yeah, Sam said it was easier than your real name. You not want me to?" Dean asked, whistling as he went over to one of the lockers.

 

"No," Castiel said, finishing with the towel, picking up another one. He looked at Sam and then followed him over to the massage table. "I suppose I do not mind."

 

"Man," Dean said, leaning back against the wall, unable to keep a grin from appearing on his face. "Shit is gonna get real interesting around here, really quick, isn't it?"

 

"I'm sorry," Castiel said as he settled himself to the table. "I can find somewhere else to-"

 

"What makes you think that's a bad thing?" Dean asked, laughing. "We are going to have so much fun."

 

Sam snorted and rolled his eyes, helping Castiel get comfortable on the table. "Ignore my brother who is clearly a little bit psychotic. You've got friends, if nothing else, at least people who are willing to help you. So let us help you out, okay?"

 

Castiel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Very well."

 

Sam looked over his shoulder at Dean and they shared a very long look before he turned his attention to Cas and working out the soreness of his muscles. Dean supervised, advising him where to press harder and make sure that Castiel didn't have any underlying issues. After a few minutes, Castiel stopped any protesting and allowed them to work however they saw fit.

 

Dean disappeared halfway through the massage session to go call their parents. Sam watched them go and smiled as Castiel's breathing started to even out. He might not be entirely asleep, but he was definitely on his way there. He started to hum, quietly, and finished working across Castiel's shoulders.

 

Castiel was beautiful, both aesthetically and as an athlete and Sam allowed himself a moment to admire the way Castiel's skin glistened from the oil that he had been using before he stepped away. "Take your time getting dressed, Dean and I are going to be up in the office. I'll take you over to the Roadhouse as soon as you're ready."

 

"Thank you," Castiel said, his voice muffled by a towel.

 

Sam grinned. "You're welcome, Cas."

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

 

Dean was waiting for him upstairs, still on the phone with Mary. "I know Mom, I know, but we can't just invite him to stay with you out of the blue, we're going to scare him off." He waved to Sam and then to the phone. "I have no idea if he checked into the hotel under a fake name. No idea at all. I'll talk to him. No, I don't think you should come over, Mom, come on, no-"

 

Dean sighed and looked at the phone in his hands. "Well, that didn't quite go as planned."

 

Sam chuckled and shut the door behind him. "Did you expect anything else to happen when you told Mom who it was?"

 

"I didn't expect her to start going on about 'that poor boy' and 'Crowley that bastard' and how Castiel was completely being taken advantage of and how he must feel so alone and hurt right now," Dean said, grinning a little at Sam. "Sounds like you aren't the only one who has adopted themselves a figure skater."

 

Sam snorted and grinned. Cas would get the knowledge first-hand that there were far more people on his side than he realized, and they were going to do their best to make sure no one found out that he was here. "I take it we've also been invited to dinner?"

 

Dean laughed. "Oh, we didn't even get as far as dinner. Mom is coming over right now and going to join us for lunch."

 

Sam headed over to the computer and picked up his phone. "I'd better call Jo and let her know that she's going to have the place to herself until I get back."

 

"Yeah, good plan. And I'll pass the message on to them. You'd better bring me a burger from the Roadhouse, or I will leave the gym trashed for you," Dean said.

 

It was an empty threat and Sam knew it. "I'll make sure to run back here with food for you, don't worry."

 

"Tell Ellen I want her best burger! All the fixings!" Dean shouted out the door as Sam opened it again.

 

Sam rolled his eyes. "Dean, you haven't changed your order since you were a teenager, I'm pretty positive that Ellen knows how you like your burger now!"

 

Dean flipped him off and Sam laughed, turning down the hallway, stopping a few seconds before he almost crashed into Castiel.

 

"Sam, I apologize, I was just on my way to come find you," Castiel said, pushing his fingers through his hair. "I needed to shower quickly."

 

Sam grinned. "Not a problem at all, so don't even worry about it. We're going to have lunch. Mom's going to meet us."

 

Castiel turned immediately pale and froze and Sam blinked at the reaction. He'd expected Cas to be a little happy, especially after his reaction earlier to knowing who Mary was. "I, perhaps it would just be best for me to head back to my hotel for the afternoon."

 

"What? Why?" Sam asked, blinking at the skater.

 

Castiel shook his head. "I do not wish," he cleared his throat. "I would prefer not to talk to anyone in the community. Cutting myself off has proved an effective method these past few weeks-"

 

"Cas," Sam interrupted. "My Mom believes you. Completely believes you, and even went so far as to call Crowley a skeevy bastard, if I overheard Dean's conversation with her right."

 

Castiel blinked and turned wide eyes to Sam. Sam fought down the urge to punch anyone who had ever put that surprised look on Cas' face. Cas deserved all of the support in the world and had received none.

 

"She, does?"

 

"Yeah, Cas," Sam said, smiling at him. "Now, come on. I believe I owe you an excellent burger, right? Mary is going to meet us over at Ellen's. Did you have a car?"

 

"Yes," Castiel said, clearing his throat.

 

"Cool. Mind giving me a ride? I jog here in the mornings so my car is back at my house."

 

Castiel blinked and stared at Sam. "You jog here?"

 

"Small community, remember?" Sam said, laughing as he walked outside, side by side with Cas. "It's not a problem, and Ellen's is about five minutes away by car. You'll love the place, I'm sure."

 

Castiel smiled and led the way to his car. He unlocked it and climbed into the front seat.

 

"A Lincoln Continental, huh? I have a feeling you are going to geek out over Dean's car when you finally see it," Sam said, shaking his head as he stretched out his legs. At least it wasn't some smart car that he would be squished in. Small favors in life.

 

"What car does your brother have?"

 

"A sixty-seven Chevy Impala. She's gorgeous. Dean got her from our father when he was sixteen and he loves that thing more than anyone else in the world. His true soulmate," Sam said. "He takes car loving to an almost creepy level."

 

Castiel snorted and turned to Sam. "I would like to see it."

 

"You won't be able to get out of seeing it, I guarantee you that," Sam said, grinning as Castiel turned the car on. "Here, really easy to get there too. Just take a left and drive down this road until you see a sign for the Roadhouse on the left."

 

"I don't understand why you are doing this for me," Castiel said after a slightly longer period of silence. "You trusted me at my word."

 

"Should I not have?" Sam asked, glancing over at Cas.

 

"I, no, of course," Castiel said, frowning at the steering wheel. He kept his eyes firmly on the road. "Gabriel is the only one who has ever had that sort of faith in me before. And Crowley, before..."

 

"Let me put this as simply as I can," Sam said. "You were taken advantage of by an asshole. Now that asshole is doing everything he can to try and wreck your career, as far as I can see."

 

Castiel frowned and continued to stare at the road, slowing down when he finally caught sight of the sign for The Roadhouse. "I do not understand why he is doing this."

 

"Jealousy? Anger? Some other stupid fucking emotion that he should have grown out of ages ago?" Sam said offering up the different solutions. He shrugged a little bit and smiled at Cas. "The reality is that I don't have a good reason for why he would do this. No one ever does for something like this."

 

Sam waited for Cas to park and climbed out of the car, stretching easily. "The point is, you've got Dean, and my Mom, and I. And we all believe in you, and we're going to help you give that bastard a middle finger."

 

Castiel smiled at Sam and it was the first time he'd seen a real smile from the man. Sam swallowed hard at the way Castiel's eyes crinkled, some of his gums showing around his teeth. He swallowed hard and gestured to the door. _Jesus_ , Castiel was criminally attractive, and he definitely did not need someone drooling over him.

 

"I have a feeling that you would get along with my brother very well," Castiel said, heading for the door and opening it for Sam.

 

"Speaking of your brother," Sam said, slipping into the bar, glancing around to make sure it was mostly empty before continuing. "Does he know that you are here? Or just that you are in hiding?"

 

Castiel selected a booth in the corner that would keep them hidden from anyone who entered the bar and Sam followed him, squeezing into the seat across from him.

 

"Gabriel actually suggested this particular rink as one that I would very easily be able to hide at for an extended period of time," Castiel said. "He mentioned briefly knowing your brother, and that you could both be trusted. I was so eager to run, I didn't think to ask..."

 

Sam blinked and tried to think about anyone else he knew with the last name of Novak. No one came immediately to mind and he tried to think a little bit more. "Okay, forgive me, but who is your brother? It doesn't ring any immediate bells. You were the one who contacted me about the booking, so I don't know if I ever even talked to him..."

 

"His name is Gabriel. We do not share the last name, so that may be why you do not know him. He is my half-brother, but the only one of my siblings that I am still in contact with. His last name is Milton," Castiel said.

 

Sam choked on his next breath of air and coughed hard, waving his hand at Ellen when she approached, trying to let her know that he was okay and that he wasn't choking. At least not much.

 

Castiel smiled. "A very appropriate reaction for someone who knows my brother. What was your connection with him?"

 

"Uh, I'll tell you that story later," Sam said, shaking his head, blowing out a breath. "Gabriel Milton, jesus, now there's a name I haven't heard in years, fucking hell. Dean's going to be excited."

 

Sam smiled up at Ellen as soon as she stopped by the table and looked over to Cas. "Ellen, this is Castiel. He goes by Cas. Cas, this is Ellen. She practically helped raise us, and has definitely helped keep us far too well fed for the past couple of decades," Sam said, watching as Ellen gave Castiel an assessing gaze.

 

"I know who he is," Ellen said, still watching Castiel. "Seen him in the news a fair share too."

 

Castiel turned ashen in the space of a heartbeat and Sam was just about to intercede when Ellen kept talking.

 

"Mary and I both agreed, that you're being ripped apart for no reason. No offense, but you don't seem like the type who could easily seduce someone else. And frankly, if you were going to seduce someone, why the hell would it be Crowley," Ellen continued. She smiled at Castiel and offered him a wink. "I've already talked to my employees and Dean told me you are a big fan of burgers. We'll keep your secret as long as you need us to, and keep you well-fed to boot."

 

Castiel sagged visibly with relief and took a deep breath. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice small and sincere.

 

Ellen blinked and raised an eyebrow at Sam. Sam shrugged and looked back at Castiel. "Now, with those introductions out of the way," he said, trying desperately to change the topic to something that didn't make Castiel look like he was about to crumble into a million and one pieces. "Ellen, I think we need two of your best burgers with everything. Unless you're allergic to anything Cas?"

 

Castiel smiled and shook his head. "Not allergic, but if there are raw onions, could I get mine without please?"

 

"You got it," Ellen said, tapping her pen against a pad of paper in her hand. "You want anything to drink, or should I just grab you both waters?"

 

"Water would be excellent," Castiel said. He looked back down at the table and trailed his finger down along the grain, staring at it for a long time.

 

Sam was worried that something was wrong, despite the promise of excellent food and was about to suggest they get their food to go when Castiel spoke up.

 

"I had forgotten, what it felt like," he said.

 

"What felt like?" Sam asked, tilting his head.

 

"People believing in me. Not questioning my story," Castiel said, giving a small shrug. "I have had so many questions, so many demands for a deeper explanation thrown at me, I forgot that there were some who just believed me as soon as I explained..."

 

Sam tightened his hand in the fabric of his jeans under the table and forced himself to take a slow, deep breath. "Castiel, there are a great deal of people who believe you. They are just being drowned out by the voices of everyone else who wants to take advantage of you in some way, shape or form. They are not the voices that you should listen to, and I hope that you believe that."

 

Castiel took another deep breath and smiled at Sam. "I am going to attempt to do so. I find it strange that you would trust the word of a stranger so easily."

 

"Hey, hey, you're not just a stranger, you're a well-paying stranger," Sam said, chuckling a little bit as he winked at Castiel. That got him another quick smile and fuck if he couldn't help the way that made his stomach swoop when he stared at Cas.

 

"I suppose that is true," Castiel agreed, smiling as Ellen brought them both waters a moment later. He took a long sip of his and relaxed into the booth, looking around the bar. "You grew up here, didn't you?"

 

"Yeah," Sam said, laughing a little bit as he looked around. "Ellen was our second Mom, and Jo, her daughter, who works at the rink, she's like the little sister that Dean and I never had."

 

Castiel smiled and continued to look around. "I like it here."

 

Sam grinned. "You'll like it even more when you taste how good the food is. Dean's jokingly said that her food is good enough to kill for, and that really isn't an exaggeration."

 

Castiel nodded and looked back down at the table. He crossed his hands easily in his lap and took a deep breath, trying to relax.

 

"Are you feeling up for meeting my mother today? I can call her and ask her to wait if you want to rest more. You look, well, you look _tired_ , Cas."

 

"Having your entire life thrown upside down in the space of a few weeks will do that," Castiel said, his voice deadpan as he stared back at Sam.

 

Sam laughed, harder than he probably should have. "That's fair. Well, at least you'll sleep good tonight, right?"

 

"Far better than I have been, that is for certain," Castiel agreed, settling back into the booth. "As for meeting your mother, yes, perhaps I would like to wait another few days before meeting her, but I would not want to stop her now that she is already on her way."

 

"On her way and already here," A bright voice said, approaching their table a moment later.

 

Castiel looked up at Mary Winchester with wide eyes and then relaxed. She looked kind and she immediately slid into the space beside her son, ordering him to make room with those long legs of his before she turned to him. He sat up a little straighter and wondered what she must think of him.

 

"Hello Castiel," she said, smiling at him. "How are you?"

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

 

 

Castiel opened his mouth and blinked, staring at the table. There was no easy answer to that question. How was he? Heartsick? Tired? Exhausted, even? "I don't know," he answered, truthfully.

 

Mary nodded. "I'm not surprised. I've been keeping up with everything going on and," she shook her head, "I wish that there was something I could do to help you Castiel, because I would do it in an instant, without hesitation."

 

Castiel smiled. "Thank you. Your, belief in me is more than I have been offered by most, so I appreciate that, more than I could ever properly explain to you."

 

"Which is ridiculous," Mary snapped. "The fact that you are being set up as some sort of sex fiend who has seduced every judge in every competition is beyond believe and the media frenzy is just getting worse and worse. Who do you have doing your public relations to manage this mess?"

 

"Gabriel Milton, he's my brother," Castiel explained, watching Mary start to nod.

 

"Good, he's the best. He's suing Crowley, right?" She asked, waving to Ellen as she came back out from the kitchen.

 

Castiel nodded, clearing his throat. "He is, but we are unsure if the charges will stick-"

 

"Worry about that later, that's Gabriel's job right now," Mary advised. "Right now, you need to focus on what is important to you, and that is Worlds. Do you have a routine?"

 

"Yes, of course," Castiel said, smiling at her. He could see where Sam got some his attitude, it was so obvious in talking to his mother.

 

Sam watching as Castiel slowly started to relax under the barrage of questions from his mother. Though they weren't easy questions for him, at least he no longer had that look of a spooked kitten who wanted to run away as soon as he was given the chance.

 

Mary accepted the water from Ellen when she approached and took a sip of it. "You need to change your routine."

 

Castiel blinked, staring in Mary in shock. "Excuse me?"

 

"You need to change it. Starting right away. You need to completely redo both your long and your short programs," Mary said, staring at him. "Do you know why?"

 

Castiel opened his mouth and closed it, staring down at the table again. The sneaking suspicion he had had, that Crowley would offer up his routine to another skater, to further continue to discredit him, suddenly seemed more real than ever. "I don't have enough time."

 

"Of course you do," Mary said, reaching out to squeeze Castiel's hand. "There is more than enough time to get a new routine set up for yourself. Now, it will not be easy, but you can manage it."

 

"I've..." Castiel's mind was spinning with thoughts, possibilities. What could he change his routine to that would be something to show that world that he was not afraid of them, afraid of any of them?

 

"Castiel," Mary said, squeezing his hand again. "Look at me."

 

Castiel snapped his attention back to Mary Winchester and nodded, swallowing hard. She was right. He needed to change his routines. He needed to start looking at potential music selections. There were so many things that he needed to do and so little time to do them in. How could he get this accomplished in time?

 

"You don't have to decide what to do this instant. However, I know Crowley. He will continue to do everything he can to discredit you. Including have another figure skater use your routine, if only so he can say that you stole it," Mary said, her voice soft and firm. "You have to show up to World's with a routine that no one has seen, especially not Crowley. No one will expect that of you."

 

The idea of coming up with two new routines, all on his own, with the two and a half months he had before World's was daunting. He had always written his routines with Crowley, he had never tried to write one on his own.

 

"Castiel?" Mary asked.

 

Castiel stared at her and snapped his mouth shut, forcing himself to focus. He would figure it out. He had created dozens of routines with Crowley. He would be able to figure out how to create one for himself. He would. It could not be that hard. "Yes?" he asked, his voice hoarse. He blinked hard, not wanting to let the emotion overwhelm him again.

 

"Do you have anyone who can help you? Friends, family? Anyone who can help you with this?" Mary asked, staring at him. "Anyone who has experience in the figure skating world who can help you build a routine?"

 

Castiel shook his head, clenching his eyes shut so the tears that were threatening didn't fall down his face. He'd been ostracized from the community, Crowley had seen to that. No coach would have him, and no one would help him either, or risk going against the power that Crowley wielded.

 

"Well," Mary said decisively. "That settles it then."

 

Sam blinked and looked at his Mother. He recognized the look on her face a moment later and grinned, bright and wide. "Oh hell yes. _Hell_ yes."

 

Castiel blinked, opening his eyes to look at Sam and the enthusiastic way he had responded to Mary's statement. Mary was staring at him and Castiel swallowed hard. "Settles what, precisely?" he asked.

 

Mary smiled. "I'm going to coach you, Castiel. If you'll have me."

 

Sam stared at Castiel as the skater spent a long moment looking thunderstruck before he swallowed again and nodded, hard. "Careful, she's a slave driver Cas," Sam warned, chuckling when his Mom reached out and gave him a smack on the arm. "She'll whip you into proper shape."

 

"I believe it would be very foolish of me to turn down the offer from a figure skater that I admire as much as I do you," Castiel said.

 

"Sam is right though, Castiel," Mary said, glancing over to her son. She smiled at the smitten look on his face. "I will push you. You are capable of amazing things. Crowley likes what he likes, and will play to the judges. Instead, I will push you, and then you will become _great_."

 

Castiel blinked in surprise and stared at her. He cleared his throat and tried to nod again. "That would be, I mean, I would appreciate any help that you are able to give me, Mary."

 

"Good. What time are you at the rink in the morning?"

 

"Four, however, if it is better for your schedule-"

 

"Now, now, don't even start with that. I'll be there at four am," Mary said, glancing over to her son.

 

Sam smiled and held up his hands. "You're going to adopt Cas within a week, I have no doubt of it."

 

Mary chuckled and smiled at Castiel. "Perhaps. We'll see. He has to be willing to work with me first. But I will make you a promise Castiel."

 

Castiel stared at her and nodded. "Of course, and I will do everything I can to help you keep that promise."

 

"You're going to stun them all. Scandal or not, and whether it comes to our door or not, we will work through that when it happens. Until then, you are going to work for me, and you are going to work hard, understood?"

 

"Yes, ma'am," Castiel said, nodding.

 

"Good. Now. What are you both having for lunch? Castiel, do you have plans for dinner?"

 

Sam sat back at the table and watched as Mary and Castiel began to get into an in-depth conversation about the possibilities that Castiel could use for his routine. He sipped his water and dug into his burger. By the time he left to go give the burger to Dean (he had promised, after all), and come back, they were still discussing, and had moved to sketching out several different things on a piece of paper.

 

"You two want to take this back to the house?" Sam asked, smiling at them both. "Cas looks dead on his feet. I think he should probably be allowed to go pass out."

 

"Nonsense," Castiel protested, his next word cut off mid-yawn. He ignored the looks from both Sam and Mary and focused on the paper again. The lines were starting to blur. Perhaps some sleep that he had been missing for the past few weeks would definitely be in order.

 

"Oh yes, shit, I'm so very sorry, Castiel," Mary said, smiling at him apologetically. "That is my fault for being too enthusiastic. Are you all right to drive?"

 

Castiel nodded. "I will head back to my hotel and sleep for several hours, I think."

 

"All right," Mary said. "If you aren't feeling up to it, don't worry about dinner and I'll see you first thing in the morning, all right?"

 

"Yes, of course," Castiel said, standing up from the table, brushing off his pants. "Thank you both for lunch."

 

Sam grinned. "No problem Cas. Get some rest and if I don't see you later, I'll see you in the morning."

 

As soon as Castiel had left in his car, Sam's phone rang. It was Dean. Huh, there must have been something wrong with his burger.

 

"Sam, we've got a problem," Dean said.

 

Sam felt dread settle into his stomach. Fuck, so much for getting a break for Cas from all of the drama that had been swirling around him for the past few weeks. "What's going on?"

 

"I'm not sure exactly who they are, but we've got people who look like paparazzi floating around the place right now. Someone got wind of Cas being here," Dean said, leaning closer to the window, trying to get a good look at them.

 

They were doing their absolute best to make sure he didn't get a good look at them, which was going to make any attempt to catch them in the future a pain. "I wouldn't count on Cas having privacy long. Especially if he didn't put his name under a different reservation."

 

"Shit," Sam swore, glancing to his Mom. Mary's eyes had snapped to him and widened, and he could tell she already knew what was going on. "Okay. We need a plan b, because if that's the case, as soon as someone catches sight of him, whether it's in the hotel lobby or something like that, this place is gonna be swarmed with reporters."

 

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "What are we going to do?"

 

Sam chewed on his lip and made a decision. He'd get Cas to forgive him later, somehow. "You need to call Gabriel Milton and get him here. He's Cas' PR rep, and brother, on top of things. He's going to need to be here when this clusterfuck explodes."

 

"You sure this is the right decision?" Dean asked, watching another van pull into the parking lot across from the rink. Fuck, this was going to get ugly really, _really_ fast. "Closing ranks around him?"

 

Sam sat down in the bench seat across from his mom, well aware that she was watching his every move. He took a deep breath. "He's got no one else, Dean. He trusted us. I know this leak didn't come from us, but we've got to try to protect him. He _needs_ that. He needs _someone_. He's going to break under the pressure if he doesn't have someone help him soon."

 

Dean exhaled hard. "Fuck. I was afraid you were going to say that. Okay. Tell Mom we're going to need to pick him up tomorrow. I'll get his phone number from the paperwork. Cas has to tell the hotel what is going on or he's going to be fucking mobbed tomorrow."

 

"Yeah, will do," Sam said, looking at his Mom. She already had her phone out and was typing on it quickly. As far as they were all concerned, Cas was under their umbrella now, and they were going to do everything they needed to to protect him. He didn't deserve anything that was happening. None of it.

 

Mary looked up at Sam. "You're making the right decision. He needs help," she said, sending a message before immediately typing another. "I'm calling in a few favors."

 

"Favors?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. His Mom looked angry, furious even. He wanted to get the hell out of her way. Or thank every deity he knew for the fact that she was on their side. Thank god for small favors. "What kind of favors?"

 

"You think Crowley is the only one with connections in the figure skating world?" Mary asked, raising an eyebrow at her youngest son. "He might be able to intimidate people, but people like me far more than him. They'll be willing to talk. _Besides_ ," Mary said, grinning wide and dangerous. "What are they going to do to me? I've been out of the business for years, you are all your own men and far from their reach."

 

Sam stood up and slid into the booth next to Mary, wrapping her up in a tight hug and hugging her close. Fuck, he loved his Mom so damn much. "Thank you for helping him. He needs it, I get the feeling he hasn't had a lot of people help him in his life."

 

"I get the exact same feeling sweetheart," Mary said, combing her fingers through Sam's hair. "You just keep an eye on that heart of yours. I don't know if Cas is going to want anything resembling a relationship after this."

 

Sam swallowed hard and chuckled, pulling away from her. "I'll be fine. He's gorgeous, but hey, it wouldn't be the first time I've crushed on someone who isn't interested. I've got to head back to the rink, I want to make sure I talk to everyone if bedlam is about to descend on us."

 

Mary watched her son go and sighed a little bit. It was clearly too late. The problem would not be that Castiel was uninterested. Sam didn't see the way that Castiel looked at him, like he had made something magical happen so that people were suddenly supporting him again. That kind of blind affection was dangerous and had gotten Castiel into his current predicament.

 

She would figure something out.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

 

Castiel had just turned off all of the lights in his bedroom when his cell phone rang. He didn't recognize the phone number and ignored it. Likely another interviewer who had gotten his personal number and was trying to get the inside scoop on whatever was happening with him. He didn't need any more of that. He had enough problems in his current situation, he didn't need to be adding to the mess.

 

He closed his eyes and let himself doze off.

 

His alarm went off almost four hours later and Castiel sat up, running his fingers through his messy hair, grinning. His limbs felt heavy and relaxed, and he had slept better than he had in weeks, even if it was only for a few hours. He stretched and reached for his phone.

 

Another four missed calls from that same number and a text. Castiel frowned and opened his phone, going to the text message.

 

'Cas, this is Sam, pick up, please!'

 

Dread, heavy and cold, settled into his belly. Castiel gripped the phone tighter and dialed the number back, hoping that Sam would still pick up the phone. He lifted it to his ear and sat down on the bed, wondering what terrible news was going to come now. It could be anything, he was ready for almost anything.

 

Sam picked up on the second ring as he saw Cas' cell number flash on his phone. "Cas! Thank fuck. Are you all right?"

 

"Yes, of course," Castiel managed, proud that his voice didn't shake. "What is wrong, Sam?"

 

Sam cleared his throat and pressed a hand to his face. The number of people outside the gym had tripled, and Cas' hotel was already swarmed. "Someone found you."

 

Castiel froze, the phone sliding out of his grip to hit the bed. He closed his eyes and forced himself to take a deep breath. He could hear Sam calling for him, his voice tinny and far away on the phone. It took him another minute before he was able to pick up the phone again and bring it to his ear. "They're here?"

 

"Yes," Sam said. "All of them."

 

Castiel flinched. Of course he wouldn't be able to hide, that this hint of all things wonderful wouldn't last. Now they would all start to agree with Crowley, would get their few minutes worth of media attention before letting them move on. That is how it had always worked. None of them had been able to resist before.

 

"Cas!" Sam snapped.

 

Castiel's attention was drawn back to the phone. He needed to pack. His skates were at the gym. He would need to go there first. He would have to wade through the reporters in both locations, then attempt to leave them far behind. Perhaps he could stay with Gabriel for a handful of days until things were figured out.

 

"Cas, talk to me!" Sam said, his voice verging on desperate. The silence on the other side of the phone was deafening, and he had to try to focus on the road as he drove to his mother's house.

 

"I'm so sorry I've brought this to your door Sam. You didn't deserve this, none of you did. I should have never come," he whispered, chewing on his lip. He thought about Mary's offer, designing the start of a new routine with her. It would have been everything he had ever wanted.

 

"You stop talking like that right this second, and shut the hell up!" Sam snapped.

 

"What?" Castiel said, the anger in Sam's voice surprising him.

 

Sam sighed in frustration and parked the car, honking the horn repeatedly. Mary came flying out of the house a moment later. "You listen to me and you listen good. Don't you dare apologize. Gabriel is already on his way here. Dean called him. He'll be here in two hours. You shower, get dressed. Mom and I are on the way."

 

"I..." Castiel blinked hard, tears threatening again at the vehemence in Sam's tone. "You do not have to-"

 

"We went over this already," Sam said, shaking his head. "We're doing it, whether you like it or not. Mary is your coach and she is going to stand by your side for every single second of this. I am here to be big and intimidating, two things I am very, _very_ good at."

 

Castiel huffed out a laugh, despite himself and smiled, some of the panic starting to recede. "How did they find me?"

 

"I don't know," Sam said. "We'll figure that out too. But first, we need to deal with the crowd of vultures."

 

"Tell him to pack his things," Mary instructed. "He can't stay there, he'll never sleep and he needs to be well-rested."

 

"Mom says-" Sam started, only to have the phone yanked from him a moment later before his Mom pointed to the road and ordered him to drive. He chuckled and did just that, booking it to the Hilton where Cas had to be staying.

 

"Castiel, listen to me. You are going to come stay with John and I," Mary said, her tone brooking no disagreement. "We have a very large house, and you are more than welcome. Sam and Dean both live on the land as well," she explained.

 

"I can't ask you to-"

 

"You're not asking me to do anything, I'm telling you," Mary said. "You will be in no condition to skate, let alone compete, if you are hiding every single moment that you are here for the next few months. _Now_. Do as Sam asked. Shower. Get dressed. Pack your things. We will be there shortly. Please call the front desk and have them allow Sam and I up. Also inform them we will need a security escort to our car. Okay?"

 

"Yes," Castiel said, taking a deep breath. It was easier when he was not the one that needed to figure all of these things out. He would have someone standing beside him. Mary, his coach, and Sam. "I'll call the front desk and I'll be ready," he promised.

 

Mary smiled as Castiel started moving on the other end of the phone. The shock was starting to fade from his voice. "Castiel, listen to me, very carefully," Mary ordered, and she felt Castiel's attention snap to her again. "We are going to protect you. We want nothing in return, okay? This is what should have been done for you from the very beginning. If you don't have a family outside Gabriel that will do it for you, then mine is going to stand in. Got it?"

 

Castiel wanted to respond, but his throat was closing up and he could already feel the tears coming down his face, hot and wet. "Thank you," he managed, his voice barely a croak.

 

"Oh honey," Mary said, glancing over at Sam as they started to approach the crowd of reporters. "Don't thank us. You deserve this. Now call the hotel. We'll be there in a minute."

 

"Okay," Castiel said, disconnecting the call from Mary. He called the hotel and spoke with the manager, taking several painstaking minutes to explain the sudden situation they had found themselves with. The hotel was reaching out to the local police already and Castiel wanted to sink into the bed and never reappear again. When a knock on his door sounded, he jumped and walked towards it as quietly as he could manage.

 

Looking out the peephole, he nearly fell against the door when he realized there was no one other than Mary and Sam standing there, waiting for him to open the door. He yanked it open and wrapped his arms around Mary as soon as she hugged him. Castiel looked up at Sam as he closed the door behind them both and sagged against her. It felt good to be wrapped in her arms like this.

 

Mary released Castiel after a few minutes of one good, long hug. "All right. You go shower and change. Sam and I will be escorting you downstairs. I'm going to want you to make a statement, a really short one. Sam and I will be right next to you the entire time."

 

Castiel managed a nod and grabbed the first clothes he could reach, before Sam stopped him and grabbed something else, pushing it at him with a murmured 'trust me'. He took the shirt and climbed into the shower, letting the pounding hot water wash away the mess waiting for him outside.

 

By the time he climbed out again, Mary and Sam were scribbling frantically on the small notepad that had been provided to them in the room. "Is everything all right?"

 

"Yes," Mary said, looking down at the card. "We are just trying to figure out how you want to word what you are doing here."

 

Castiel blinked. "I'm training for worlds, with my new coach, Mary Winchester, at a gym owned by a friend of my brothers. Is there more to it than that?"

 

Mary stopped and turned to face Castiel, a grin starting. "Okay, say that again."

 

"Why?" Castiel asked, tilting his head to the side.

 

"Trust me, Castiel," Mary said.

 

Castiel diligently repeated the words. "I'm training for Worlds, with my new coach, Mary Winchester, in a gym owned by a friend of my brother's."

 

"Perfect!" Mary said, looking over at Sam. "I want you to say exactly that when you head downstairs and we face those vultures, deal? And I want you not to answer a single question they throw at you."

 

Castiel nodded, glancing over to Sam who was grinning at him as well. "You will both be with me?"

 

"Yes," Mary said, nodding definitively. "I'll be on your left, and Sam will be on your right. When you are done, follow Sam out, and keep your head down. Don't look at anyone, just focus on Sam, and we'll get you out of here."

 

Castiel smiled and nodded, feeling much better with a set plan for how this was going to go. "All right. When will my brother be here?"

 

Sam looked at his watch. "He caught the first flight out. He'll be here in about three hours."

Castiel relaxed and gave a firm nod. He could do this. Gabriel would be here soon, and Sam and Mary were going to be there and he would be able to look to one of them if he needed help.

 

Mary smiled and put her hand on Castiel's back and led him outside the room. "Sam, get his bags. I'm going to follow him into the lobby, that's where they are all waiting. After, you'll need to plow a path through."

 

"Got it, Mom," Sam said, easily lifting Castiel's duffle bag and two suitcases behind him. The door clicked shut and he followed them down the hallway, watching as his Mom continued to whisper to Castiel. Every minute that passed Castiel started to straighten his back even further.

 

By the time he walked out, his head was held high and he was ready for them.

 

Sam flinched at the flashes that started the second Castiel stepped into the lobby. A cacophony of noise hit them, all of the reporters and paparazzi suddenly shouting questions, statements, and everything at Castiel, desperate for any sort of reaction. Sam was proud when Castiel did nothing but keep a straight face and walk to the front of them.

 

Sam settled into the side by Cas and reached out to tap Cas' foot with his, catching a hint of a smirk before his Mom settled on the other side.

 

"Excuse me everyone," Mary announced, causing an immediate hush to go over the paparazzi. "Castiel is going to make a statement, then we are going to leave."

 

"Where are you going?"

 

Mary merely raised an eyebrow at the reporter, who looked chastised and turned to Castiel.

 

Castiel cleared his throat and held his head up high. He had nothing to hide. He was here for a reason. Mary would support him, no matter what he needed, she had promised. "I am here, training for Worlds. Gabriel suggested a gym that a friend of his owned, and that is why I am here. My new coach, Mary Winchester, is the other reason that I chose this particular gym."

 

That statement was enough to have the group of reporters suddenly shouting again and Sam started to step in front of Castiel when the man visibly flinched. He cleared his throat and looked back towards the figure skater again.

 

"I will not be taking questions at this time," Castiel continued. "Any inquiries you may have will be directed to my Public Relations department. Thank you."

 

Sam turned and pushed the suitcases forward first, smiling as he used them to clear a path through the reporters. Bulbs kept flashing, but Sam did his job and got them through the crowd as easily as he could. The crowd started to move with them, but Sam made a beeline for his Mom's SUV.

 

In another second, hotel security surrounded them and helped to clear a path around the car. Sam gave them a grateful smile and loaded up Castiel's bags.

 

"Hop in the back, Cas, Sam's got the longest legs, so he's in the front," Mary directed, climbing into the driver's seat. Reporters were already running for their vans and she chuckled. "Oh, this is going to get interesting."

 

Castiel buckled himself in and looked up at her. "What is going to be interesting?"

 

"They're going to try to follow us," Mary said, winking at Castiel in the rearview mirror. "You know what else is a benefit of a small town?"

 

Castiel shook his head and had to wonder for a moment what Mary Winchester was planning with that devious look in her eyes. He would never want to be her enemy in any situation.

 

"I'm best friends with the sheriff. And she doesn't take too kindly to bullies, especially ones that invade your privacy. She'll be waiting for us with a roadblock. Any of them try to get past her and she'll slap them with enough fines to balance our budget for the next few years," Mary said, her tone more than a little gleeful.

 

Castiel blinked in surprise as the SUV leapt forward and immediately hit the main road down the town. "I'm sorry you are all having to go through so much trouble, I never meant to cause this level of excitement."

 

Mary chuckled. "And what you'll learn is that we are all ready to thank you, because this is the most fun we've had in years. Likely since I was running about causing trouble. You didn't bring this trouble Castiel, none of it is your fault."

 

Castiel chewed on his lip and shared a tentative smile with Sam when the man gave him a wide grin. "Thank you."

 

"You are very welcome Castiel, now, let's get you to my place. We have dinner and a much quieter house waiting," she whistled and hit the accelerator, leaving most of the vans in the dust behind her.

 

"Mom?" Sam said, admiration in his voice. "You are fucking scary sometimes."

 

"Moms always are, we just tend to use our powers for good far more often than we want to use them for evil," Mary said, pulling down another road, this one a little more worn.

 

Castiel could see several cop cars waiting for them and Mary waved at them as she drove past. He turned around and watched out the back window as the cop cars blocked off the rest of the road and made sure none of the vans followed them.

 

"They might also be informing all of those reporters that this is Minnesota. We have things like bears, so it's not uncommon for residents to be armed and ready to use a shotgun at the sign of intruders," Mary added, her tone completely conversational.

 

Castiel let out a noise that he was sure was half-sob, half laugh. He didn't know what to do with these wonderful people that were doing everything in their power to make sure that he was taken care of.

 

"Castiel, are you all right honey?"

 

Sam turned around in his seat and reached out to give Cas' knee a small squeeze. "Hey, Cas?"

 

Castiel blinked open his eyes and stared at Sam, swallowing hard at how earnest and bright those hazel eyes looked when they were staring at him like that. "Yes?"

 

"It'll be okay. I promise," Sam said, giving him another squeeze as his Mom started to slow down in front of a large house.

 

"I don't know what I did to deserve this," Castiel said, looking up at the house. Sam laughed and slid out of the car and Castiel turned to stare at him.

 

Mary turned to look at Castiel and caught him staring after her youngest. "You take care of him, you hear me? You think you fear me now, you've got nothing on what I'll be like if you hurt my boy."

 

Castiel blinked in surprise and then watched Mary slide out of the car. He smiled and bit down on his lower lip, climbing out of the car as well. Gabriel was going to get along with them quite well by the looks of things. Maybe Gabriel would even be happy for him.

 

Sam's phone rang as soon as they were in the house and he put Cas' bags down to answer it. "Sam, here."

 

Castiel watched Sam's face darken and fury overtake it for a moment. His breath caught and he had the completely inappropriate thought that Sam looked beautiful even when angry. "Sam?"

 

Sam waved at Castiel as Dean started talking about the extent of the damage. "What are they, teenagers?"

 

Mary frowned as she noticed Sam pacing when she came into the hallway. "Castiel, what's going on?"

 

Castiel shrugged and stared at Sam, watching him as he paced, pulling angrily at his hair.

 

"Well, tell them I don't fucking care, they'll pay for the damages. And call Jody and tell her that we're going to need someone stationed at the gym whenever it is open. I don't want anything like this happening again without witnesses," Sam growled.

 

Castiel smiled when Sam's face immediately softened with whoever he was talking to.

 

"No, Jo, there's nothing you could have done. This is just those asshole paparazzi. We'll get things figured out, don't worry," he promised, tugging on the ends of his hair and forcing a smile on to his face as he looked at Cas. "I gotta go. Call me when you get home safe, I want to know that you didn't have any issues."

 

Sam nodded again and clicked the phone shut, sighing and sinking into a chair in the hallway. "God, paparazzi are dicks. How on earth have you put up with them for weeks on your own, Cas?"

 

Castiel shrugged and looked at Sam. "I've sequestered myself away. I didn't go anywhere. I had my groceries delivered, they used to question the delivery boys about what I ordered."

 

Sam flinched and gave Cas a sympathetic look. "Damn, that's just fucking ridiculous."

 

"What happened?" Castiel asked, sitting beside Sam.

 

Sam gave Cas a quick pat on the leg. "Nothing that I'm going to let you try to blame yourself for. The assholes for some reason thought it would be great to try and harass some of the kids we have come in the afternoon. Jo set them straight, and they decided to egg the place in retaliation."

 

Castiel sucked in a panicked breath. All of this mess was happening because of him, children were being yelled at because of him. He should know better. He should leave and never come back and then everything would go back to normal for these wonderful people. They wouldn't need to do ridiculous things like this to make sure that he wasn't hurt and spied on. "I'm so sorry."

 

"It's not a big deal. I don't give a shit about the gym, and the rink, that's why we have hoses. I'm sure the kids will bounce back reasonably quickly as well," Sam added, reaching out to ruffle Cas' hair. "None of that is your fault, that's the fault of the assholes who are camped out trying to get a glimpse of you."

 

"I brought all of this to your doorstep," Castiel protested, taking a deep breath. "I should leave, with Gabriel. That would be the best thing for all of you."

 

Sam slid out of the seat and knelt in front of Cas, resting both of his hands on Cas' knees. "Hey, look at me for a second, okay?"

 

Sam grinned when big blue eyes were staring at him, a little angrily. He had a feeling that as soon as things calmed down and Cas was out of the spotlight, he was going to be a totally different kind of handful. The right kind of handful. "Good."

 

"Good, what?" Castiel asked, frowning.

 

Sam reached out and tapped Castiel on the nose. "Here's the deal. We're all adults here. We want to help you, and we're going to help you. Unless you can tell me that you have a coach, a physical trainer, and a masseuse who happens to own a rink and a gym waiting for you wherever you are going to go, you're not leaving here any time soon."

 

Castiel glared at Sam, crossing his arms over his chest. "I am not worth all of this effort you are putting forth. I will never be worth it. This is simply too much trouble."

 

"Oh?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. "And precisely what level of trouble would you be okay with us handling?"

 

"None!" Castiel snapped, his temper flaring at he glared at Sam.

 

"Well, I think that's what we'd all prefer. But that's not the hand that you've been dealt. So we've gotta work with what we've got," Sam said, grinning again as he stood up. "Good to see that spine of yours though, I was getting worried."

 

Castiel gaped at Sam's back as he walked down the hallway and towards another room. He shook himself and focused on the bags that were waiting in the hallway.

 

"Sam!" Mary called, coming into the hallway. "Go set up your room for Castiel. Dean's is currently filled with boxes courtesy of your father."

 

"Yes, Mom!" Sam said, bounding up the stairs.

 

Castiel looked up at Mary and chewed on his lip. "Will your husband mind that I am here?"

 

"You could just ask me yourself," John said, stepping out into the hallway. "Though the answer is no, no matter who you asked," he added, smiling. "Mary told me you're in a spot of trouble and could use some help."

 

"That might," Castiel cleared his throat. "Be a bit of an understatement."

 

John laughed. He turned to Mary and smiled at her. "I see why you like him."

 

Castiel gave a quick smile and straightened his back as John Winchester approached. He smiled a little bit and saw Sam peeking down from on top of the stairs. "I am in trouble, and yes, could use all of the help that I can get."

 

"Come on. You look like you could use a few dozen drinks," John said, gesturing to the kitchen. "Sam, if you're done making the worst attempt at stealth ever, you are welcome to join us."

 

Sam snorted.

 

Mary rolled her eyes. "Don't you dare get him drunk, I need him in skating shape in the morning."

 

"If there is anyone who deserves to be drunk tonight it's him and you damn well know it," John said, looking over his shoulder at his wife. "But I will do my best to make sure he doesn't end up plastered."

 

Sam came hurrying down the stairs and slipped past his Mom. "I'm going to go drinking with them. And maybe go pick up Dean later, since he's going to have a hell of a time getting out of that insanity."

 

Mary nodded and shoo'd him after where John and Castiel had disappeared. "Get going. I'll let you know when Dean needs his escort home."

 

Sam started to walk further down the hallway, but stopped. He hurried back and wrapped his arms around Mary, giving her a tight squeeze. "Thanks, Mom," he whispered.

 

"Oh sweetie," Mary said, reaching up to ruffle his hair, glad that he wasn't too tall for that at least. "You don't ever need to thank me for helping someone who so clearly needs it."

 

Sam nodded and let her go, hurrying after Castiel, calling out a warning to stay away from the whiskey, no matter what his father was saying about the magical properties of it, because it was absolutely not worth it in the morning.

 

Castiel laughed again, with the eye crinkle and his gums showing and Sam felt his stomach turn over in his chest. He bit down on his lip and stared at Castiel. _Fuck_. He was going to be in a hell of a lot of trouble after Cas went back to his real life in New York, or wherever it was that he and Gabriel were from.

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

 

 

"Hey, I've arrived home, bearing the gift of a brother. Speaking of brothers, where the hell did mine disappear to?" Dean shouted as he entered the house, looking around.

 

"Don't shout, Sam and Castiel were drinking with your father and Sam was in no shape to drive," Mary explained. "I've made you pie to make up for it."

 

Dean brightened immediately. "Pie? Fuck yes!"

 

Gabriel snickered from behind Dean. "Always as easy as ever."

 

Dean glanced over his shoulder and gave Gabriel a sour look. "You're one to talk there, bud."

 

Gabriel rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Mary Winchester, straightening his back as he stared at her. He was getting a look that he wasn't sure he liked from her, almost as though he was being assessed. "I want to see my brother."

 

"He's sleeping," Mary said. "And by the looks of him, he hasn't had anywhere near enough sleep in the past few weeks, so I'm going to let him get as much of it as he possibly can."

 

Gabriel sighed and pushed his fingers into his hair. " _Fine_. Then can I at least use your internet so I can get on and see what kind of a mess I'm dealing with after your stunt this afternoon?"

 

Mary hummed and led Gabriel into the living room. "I want you to tell me everything that has been going on, Gabriel. And when I say everything, I want to know _everything_ that you have not told Castiel, because you have wished to spare him."

 

Gabriel froze and then looked a little closer at Mary Winchester. He chuckled and shook his head. "I don't know if anyone has ever told you this, but you are not someone I would ever want to piss off."

 

"My husband and children do say that quite often. It's very gratifying. Leave Castiel to me. I'll take care of him," Mary promised, smiling as she sat down.

 

 

~!~

 

 

Sam yawned and stretched, wrapping his arm more securely around the warm body sprawled across him. A small grunt was made against his sternum before he blinked and opened his eyes properly, looking down at the lump of Castiel cuddling into him. Well, _fuck_.

 

He glanced around the rest of the room, noting the empty beer bottles, as well as his father absent from the room. Sam glanced at the clock and was glad to see it was only eight pm. Still plenty of time for dinner. Mom wouldn't let them sleep through food, not when Castiel was burning as many calories as he was by skating.

 

He yawned again and closed his eyes, adjusting his arm around Castiel a little better before he drifted off again. No sense in moving and making Castiel move. He was comfy, Cas was comfy, it was a win-win for everyone involved.

 

Sam smiled and felt Castiel shift again, no doubt getting a little bit more comfy. He still wasn't quite sure how they had ended up like this, but he could figure that out tomorrow, or later tonight, when it was time for dinner.

 

 

~!~

 

 

John leaned against the doorframe, studying the two boys passed out on his couch. He looked at Mary as she came up behind him and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. "I see what you mean," he said, gesturing with his chin to the two in the room.

 

"I'm still not sure what happened. Cas set off Sam's overprotectiveness to a ridiculous degree, Sam hasn't let Cas out of his sight almost since everything happened," Mary whispered, wrapping her arms around him. "But I think he is the rock that Castiel needs right now."

 

"Hmm," John mentioned, looking over his shoulder at her. "Not many figure skaters would make their home base in Minnesota willingly."

 

"We'll see," Mary said, smiling at him. "I think Castiel may surprise you. Provided he wants to keep me as a coach after we start working together properly."

 

John chuckled. "If he doesn't, I'll skin him alive."

 

Mary smiled and patted John's arm. "Yes, yes. But honestly, it's hard to know if we are going to be compatible as a coach and as a figure skater. I know a great deal about him, but not about how he skates and what kind of techniques he is capable of."

 

John pulled away from her slowly and stretched. "Then I am thinking you have a rather long night of research ahead of you, don't you?"

 

Mary huffed and glared at John. "You're the one who needs to guard the front door with a shotgun."

 

"Hey, if I get a chance to use it, you know I know where to hide all of the bodies."

 

A chuckle broke past her lips before she could stop it and she pretended to glare at John. "Make sure there's something left out for them in the kitchen. I'm sure they're going to wake up in a few hours and be hungry," Mary said.

 

"Yes ma'am," John said, snapping her a mocking salute as he headed for the kitchen. "Just don't expect Dean to save them any pie, that boy inhales pie."

 

Mary smiled and shook her head, shooing John off and towards the kitchen. She looked back towards the boys laying on the couch and leaned against the doorframe for a moment. She recognized that look on Sam's face. It wouldn't take much to have them end up heads over heels for each other.

 

 

~!~

 

 

The next time Sam woke up, he had the feeling quite a bit more time had passed and he groaned a bit when he saw midnight blinking at him from the DVR.

 

Castiel made a disgruntled noise when he started shifting and Sam grinned, reaching up and combing his fingers through Cas' hair. "Hey, sleepyhead, wake up. We slept straight through dinner, and I'm betting you're hungry."

 

Castiel blinked and sat up slowly, staring down at Sam before he realized exactly how he had been positioned in sleep. He flushed and immediately scrambled to sit on the other side of the couch. "I am so sorry Sam. I did not, I was far more exhausted than I thought. I am sorry."

 

Sam chuckled and swung his legs off the couch, flexing them slowly before he stood up. "Don't even worry about it, since I certainly don't care. I was comfy too." He stretched and headed to the door. "Come on, I bet they left food for us,"

 

Castiel followed behind Sam towards the kitchen, blinking against the harsh lights when they were flicked on. "Is my brother here?"

 

Sam shrugged. "I'm guessing so, but I was passed out just like you, so I haven't seen him."

 

Castiel nodded and yawned again. "I'm sorry for how I fell asleep."

 

"Don't be. You're surprisingly comfy," Sam said, opening the fridge and grinning, bright and wide. "I fucking love my parents. Are you vegan or vegetarian or anything?"

 

"Sam, I like cheeseburgers," Castiel said, deadpan.

 

Sam blinked and snickered. "Okay, we're going to blame that on my sleepy brain. So shut up, and here, we've got plenty of fruit, vegetables, as well as more meat for sandwiches than I want to think about."

 

He started taking stuff out of the fridge and piling it on the island behind him, adding the bread from another shelf a moment later. Sam hummed and turned around to face Castiel. "I think they actually cooked steaks, and we could reheat ours, but I'm going for lowest level of possible effort here."

 

Castiel grunted and began opening the bread. "We need plates."

 

Sam ripped off a few sheets of paper towels and put them down on the counter. "Makeshift plates. Make do. I don't want to leave a mess for Mom. She'll go Mom-rage on me and that is a terrifying, terrifying thing I never want to have happen if I can avoid it."

 

Castiel gave a quick smile. "What kind of bread do you want?"

 

"Wheat," Sam whispered, reaching into the fridge and pulling out the water pitcher. He poured them both glasses and put it back into the fridge, after checking the levels. "I'm going to want everything."

 

Castiel rolled his eyes and started assembling the sandwiches. "Why does that not surprise me in the slightest?"

 

"Because you watched me eat lunch," Sam quipped, adding mayo and mustard to the counter before closing the fridge door behind me. "And I've told you that I have a hollow leg. Or two, and that I eat enough for two people most of the time."

 

"Yes," Castiel agreed, letting his eyes trail up Sam's form until his eyes met Sam's. "It is not surprising, considering your size and stature."

 

Sam snorted and reached for the mustard, smearing some on his bread. "If you were Dean, I would expect you to make a sex joke of some sort there," he whispered.

 

"If I were more awake, rest assured, I would be making a sex joke of some sort," Castiel said, piling his sandwich high with turkey and cheddar cheese.

 

Sam snickered and pushed the mayo towards Castiel when he asked for it. "Someone is finally getting their sense of humor back."

 

"That's what happens when I sleep more in a day than I have the previous week all together," Castiel said, putting the finishing touches on the sandwich before taking a large bite of it with a happy noise.

 

Sam finished off his own sandwich and took a large bite of it, chewing companionably with Castiel, eating in silence. They were both starving, but afterwards it was much less of a concern. He helped put the rest of the food away and got rid of the paper towels.

 

"I'd better get home," Sam said with a yawn, before realizing he didn't have his car, and he couldn't take his Mom's, not with Cas and his Mom needing to show up at the rink tomorrow. "Fuck, no, I can't."

 

Castiel tilted his head and stared at Sam. "Why can't you?" Castiel asked.

 

Sam sighed again and pushed his fingers into his hair. His Mom would kill him if he took the car now, but dammit, he didn't want to sleep on the couch either, he'd be fucking miserable tomorrow and he didn't want to be grumpy around Castiel after everything. "Because my car is at the rink, remember? I told you I ran to work this morning."

 

Castiel's eyes widened with understanding and he hummed. "I believe I have a solution that will work."

 

Sam stared at Castiel and blinked at him. "You do?"

 

"Yes. Stay here. Your bed is still your size, and fits you, correct?" Castiel asked.

 

Sam nodded and pushed his fingers through his hair. "Cas, I'm not going to not let you sleep on a bed for the next couple of hours..."

 

"Stop," Castiel said, smiling a little at Sam. "We just slept curled up together, I think we can handle sleeping in the same bed for a few hours."

 

Sam sighed and grinned at Castiel. "All right, well, it's late, I'm tired and I'm not going to argue with you. Come on, I'm sure Mom and Dad already brought your suitcases in from upstairs and I know that I still have some old clothes lying around," Sam said, leading the way.

 

They made their way upstairs, and Sam opened the door to his childhood bedroom, suppressing the thrill that ran up his spine at the idea that he was bringing back someone who was breathtakingly gorgeous with him. Fucking hell. He was not bringing Cas to his room to have his wicked way with him. He was _not_. Absolutely not.

 

"I like your bedroom, Sam," Castiel said, looking around the room as Sam flicked the light on. There were still touches of Sam's presence everywhere, pictures on the wall, a handful of trophies and ribbons as well.

 

Sam snickered. "Yeah, I was never the type of kid to cover my wall in posters, though I definitely had a few thanks to Dean. Far more often, you would see me covering them with awards from different contests that I had entered," he winked and stretched, heading for the attached bathroom.

 

"I'm going to brush my teeth, if you want to unpack a little bit and get settled in, and pick a side of the bed," he said, smirking, "I'll be out in a minute."f

 

Castiel flushed and stared at the bed and his suitcases that were placed very innocently next to them. He took a deep breath and opened the larger, putting a few of his outfits into the drawers that were next to the bed. At least for now, since he was going to be staying here until another option presented itself.

 

Worry over exactly what he would do long-term settled into his chest. He couldn't impose on Mary and her family for the ten weeks before Worlds. What would he do after? He couldn't go back with Gabriel. He couldn't, he didn't want to be there anymore, where everyone knew what had happened, where everyone thought that he, that he...

 

"Cas? Cas, I need you to breathe for me, take some deep breaths, okay?" Sam said, stepping closer to Castiel, reaching out to touch Castiel on the arm. Cas was breathing hard, his chest heaving with each and every single breath, and his eyes were wide and panicked. "Cas, come on, it's me, just breathe for me, okay?"

 

Castiel blinked, and forced himself to focus on Sam standing in front of him. _Sam_. Yes, he needed to focus on Sam and the fact that he was here. He could worry about other things afterward. Mary was not going to kick him out, she had promised to help, and he needed to trust that. fMaybe she would help him find an apartment in the area after everything died down.

 

The thought was enough to bring him back into the moment and he gave Sam a tentative smile in the face of Sam's worry. "I'm sorry, Sam. I got, it was a panic attack. I am fine."

 

"Do you need anything?" Sam asked, rubbing up and down Castiel's arm gently, staring at him and chewing on his lip a little bit harder. "Can I help you somehow?"

 

Castiel shook his head, taking another deep breath before pulling out his toiletries bag. Now that he looked, Sam was in a pair of sweatpants and a too-tight t-shirt. He swallowed hard and forced a smile to his face. "I'll be all right. There's just, a lot happening and a lot of things for me to think about. I don't know what I'm going to do after Worlds."

 

Sam gave Castiel a quick hug, wrapping his arms around him and squeezing. He pulled back and smiled at Cas. "Don't worry about that right now. Put all of your focus on Worlds and then after you show them all what you are capable of, you can think about things like where you want to live and where you want to start training for the Olympics."

 

Castiel laughed and stared up at Sam. "I highly doubt that I am going to be invited to the team this year. However, in the event that you are right, I would love to stay here."

 

Sam lit up and grinned, bright and wide at Castiel. "Really?"

 

"Really," Castiel agreed. "I love it here already."

 

"Even though you've only been here a day?" Sam asked, his tone teasing. "You haven't had the best of first days, after all."

 

"Actually," Castiel corrected him. "I have had the best first day I could have imagined. I have a gym and rink owner more than willing to work with my requests, I somehow managed to find a coach, and people who believed me, without question."

 

"Cas," Sam started, wrapping him up in another hug. "We've got to get you to bed, or Mom is going to kill me, but just know. We're always going to support you, even if you don't end up staying here in Minnesota. You kinda won us over."

 

Castiel blinked in surprise. "I have no idea how I could have managed that, but if you insist, I am happy with this arrangement for the time being."

 

"I do," Sam said, and hoped that he was able to conceal the shiver that went up his spine at those words. He needed to avoid thinking that, because that was a dangerous path and he had promised his Mom that he was going to be careful. Especially with Castiel.

 

Castiel smiled. "Good. Then we should both sleep."

 

Sam laughed and nodded, gesturing to the bed. "Come on and climb in. I am a human heater, completely at your disposal and I promise that my Mom would have put on clean sheets."

 

A chuckle left him before he could prevent it and Castiel climbed into the bed, sliding to the side that was against the wall. He took a deep breath and settled into the wonderful mattress and groaned.

 

"I know, it's good, huh?" Sam asked with a laugh, lifting the covers and climbing in as well. "I fucking love this bed. I bought another one for myself not that long afterward when I moved out."

 

"Why didn't you take this one with you?" Castiel asked, turning to face Sam. The moment seemed far more intimate than it should have been and he bit down on his lower lip. They were talking about beds, completely innocent.

 

Sam chuckled. "You're going to laugh and call me an idiot, but when I first moved out, it wasn't for the right reasons. I wanted to leave everything here behind. I quickly regretted not bringing the bed with me."

 

"Yes, that was idiotic," Castiel said.

 

"Right," Sam agreed. "So, when I lived out in California and went to law school, I eventually got my shit sorted, but by then, I'd already bought another one of these for my apartment, so when I moved back here, this one just stayed here. Though, I took my headboard with me."

 

"What's on the headboard?" Castiel asked, looking behind him at the wall out of reflex. There was nothing there, as expected, but he had to wonder what had once been there that Sam had liked so much that he had wanted to bring it with him when he had returned back to Minnesota.

 

Sam snickered and stared at Cas, watching those bright blue eyes snap to him. "I'm sorry, I'm just trying really hard not to make a dirty joke. I think we're both too tired and we should try to go to sleep now."

 

"You're avoiding the question," Castiel said, staring at Sam. He was beautiful when he laughed. His dimples were especially distracting. He wanted to kiss them.

 

"Yes," Sam said, winking at Castiel again. "Now, go to sleep mister figure skater. I'm sure that my Mom is going to put you through the ringer tomorrow and you want to impress her."

 

Castiel closed his eyes and settled into the bed a little better. He could feel the heat that was bleeding off of Sam and focused on it, his body starting to relax. "I will get that answer out of you," he mumbled, tiredness starting to pull at him again.

 

Sam smiled and watched as Castiel relaxed and slowly slid into sleep. It was clear that he still needed it. Good thing that he was here to make sure that happened, and he didn't even need to set up an alarm to get to the gym as early as they were going to need to.

 

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

 

 

Sam snapped awake when a whimper from Castiel escaped. He turned in the bed and found Castiel breathing hard, staring at the ceiling, clearly in the throes of another panic attack. "Cas," he whispered, reaching out to touch him gently on the arm.

 

Castiel didn't respond, so Sam moved closer and slowly wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling Cas in closer. "Cas, can you hear me? It's Sam. It's okay. Whatever is going through your mind and whatever you are thinking, I promise that it is going to be okay."

 

"You're wrong," Castiel croaked, his voice hoarse. He clenched his eyes shut. He needed to leave, he needed to get away from these wonderful people before he messed things up for them as well. He was always messing things up for them, he should just accept the fact that he was worthless and needed to be thrown out with the garbage, just like Crowley had said.

 

He was talentless and he had not deserved all of the things he had been given in life. He didn't deserve any of them. He was a horrible, horrible person, Crowley was right. Of course he was right. He was always right.

 

"Cas," Sam breathed, tugging the figure skater closer, carefully, inch by inch. It took him a second before Castiel was pressed almost entirely to him and the other man melted into him, a sob escaping. "Hey, it's okay, I've got you, I'm here and I'm not going to let anything mess with you, I promise."

 

"You can't make that promise," Castiel sobbed against the t-shirt Sam was wearing. "I'm going to mess everything up for you too. You need to let me go before I make everything worse, because that is what is going to happen. I'm going to do exactly that. Make it worse, and then you'll hate me and-"

 

"Hey," Sam interrupted, pressing a kiss to Castiel's forehead. "I want you to do nothing but breathe for me for a few seconds here, okay?"

 

Castiel nodded and sucked in a slow breath, the scent of Sam, completely wrapped around him. He exhaled, just as slow, and then repeated it, melting when Sam started to rub his back as well.

 

"There," Sam whispered, watching as Castiel took a third breath, and some of his panicked shaking started to recede. "That's a little better, right?"

 

"Yes," Castiel admitted, staring at Sam's t-shirt. He hesitantly reached out to put his hand on Sam's waist and gave a slow squeeze, his fingers bunching in the soft cotton shirt. "Thank you. I'm sorry."

 

"Hey, panic attacks are never rational," Sam said, continuing to rub Castiel's back in slow motions. "So don't apologize. I just want to make sure that you're okay and you know that we aren't going to abandon you. You're rather stuck with us at this point, we like you."

 

Castiel laughed, the sound wet and disgusting. He wrinkled his nose and shifted in Sam's hold, trying to pull away. He needed a tissue.

 

"Trust me, it's going to be okay," Sam promised. "Maybe not everything will be okay, but some things are a guarantee. You want to know what those are?"

 

Castiel focused on the fabric between his fingers that was clenched at Sam's waist and nodded. "Yes."

 

Sam hummed and pressed another kiss to Castiel's forehead. "Good. Okay, thing number one. You're stuck with us. Me, my Mom, my Dad, I'm pretty sure that they're going to end up liking you way better than they like Dean and I."

 

Castiel chuckled and shook his head at the ridiculous statement. As though Mary would ever like a mess like him as much as she did Sam and Dean. Completely ridiculous. He took a deep breath. "You are silly."

 

"Yes, well, that's just how I come, so get used to it," Sam said, grinning.

 

"Okay," Sam said, grinning at Castiel. "So here's the deal with the rest. We are one hundred percent on your side. I don't care what happens, who shows up, what they throw at us money wise, or anything along those lines. I do _not_ care. We are one hundred percent on your side, got it?"  

 

Castiel sucked in a breath. "I'm not entirely sure that I can convince myself of that, Sam."

 

Sam smiled and pressed one final kiss to Castiel's forehead. "Don't worry, you don't need to. I'll tell you as often as you like and so will my Mom, and my brother. We've got you. You're one of us now, so you're just going to have to get used to it."

 

"I don't think that your brother likes me," Castiel whispered, staring at Sam.

 

"Dean doesn't like anybody. Or if he does, it's because they're an asshole, that's why he gets along with your brother. They were assholes together in college," Sam said, winking at Castiel. "Now sleep. I am not going to be responsible for you getting yelled at by my mother, got it?"

 

"Yes sir," Castiel said, closing his eyes and yawning. He was comfortable, staying pressed into Sam's arms like this and unless Sam objected, he was going to make sure that he ended up staying right here.

 

"Good," Sam said, closing his eyes and relaxing. If Castiel didn't want to move then he certainly wasn't going to make him. He was just going to need to make sure that no one had a wake up that wasn't to their preference.

 

The worst part of it all was that he knew Castiel was gay, with him having dated Crowley. Gay, single and not at all available, no matter what his dick was saying. Sam smiled and closed his eyes. He could be happy with snuggling and fantasizing on his own. He could definitely be happy with that while Castiel got settled into some sort of routine that didn't involve bullying from the media.

 

 

~!~

 

 

Sam woke with another jolt, not because of anything wrong with Castiel, but because someone had poked him in the shoulder, nice and hard. He turned his head around, careful not to disturb Castiel who was nestled carefully into his arms. His Mom was standing there with her hands on her hips, a bemused look on her face.

 

He had never been more glad for the sight of his Mom. Instant boner-killer. Perfect, exactly what he had needed with Castiel snuggled up to him like that. It was just plain and old-fashioned ridiculous. He should not be this attracted to someone who was completely available. He knew better. He was smarter than this. "Time to get up already," he whispered.

 

"Yes," Mary said, opening the door and letting light from the hallway flood in. "So get your ass out of bed, mister Winchester. I'll drive you both to your work in the morning since you weren't able to wake up on time," she said, giving him another prod. "Get out of bed, you're not going to want me to ask twice."

 

Sam knew how true that was and groaned his agreement, stretching in the bed behind Castiel. The lump in his arms made a mrring noise and turned over, flopping onto his stomach. Sam stared at the messy hair and groaned under his breath. Castiel should not be this attractive, grumpy and almost entirely asleep.

 

"Castiel," Mary called from the doorway. "Wake up, or I will pull you out of bed and dump you into the shower myself," she said.

 

Castiel grunted and opened an eye to stare at Sam. "She's not kidding, is she?"

 

"Considering she's gotten my father to do that to the both of us, multiple times?" Sam asked, sliding out of bed and shivering in the cold air. "Hell no. So I'd listen to her and climb out of bed."

 

Castiel chuckled and slid out of bed behind Sam, stretching up onto his tip toes. "I have slept more in the last twenty four hours than I have in weeks."

 

"You look better," Sam said, before he thought the better of it and cursed his mouth. He pressed a hand to his face. "Not that you looked bad or anything, but just, you definitely looked a little tired, especially the last couple of days."

 

"Yes, I would imagine so," Castiel said, smiling at Sam. "I am going to take a shower."

 

"All right," Sam said, and he absolutely did not spend the next few minutes thinking of Castiel, naked in the shower. He was not going to think about it. He wasn't. Definitely not, especially not when Castiel walked away in his sleep pants and he got a good look at just how much they were clinging to his butt. He cursed and turned his eyes away, only to meet his Mom's in the hallway from where she was looking at him with an eyebrow raised.

 

He groaned and stomped into the hallway past her. "I hate you!"

 

"No you don't," Mary sing-songed after him, chuckling as Sam headed down the stairs to start the coffee machine. She heard the shower turn on in Sam's bedroom and headed for her own room, where her lump of husband was still sleeping peacefully away. Ah, the sleep of those who didn't need to be up at the crack of dawn for figure skating.

 

 

~!~

 

 

At least doing something like making coffee was able to relax him. And make him not think about Castiel. Or maybe fantasize some more. He was definitely going to try not to fantasize some more. _Maybe_.

 

"What did the coffee do to you?" Castiel asked.

 

Sam blinked and jumped and stared at Cas. His bedhead looked even worse than before, some of his hair still wet and dripping. He swallowed hard and shook his head. "Jesus christ, we really need to get you a fucking cowbell Cas, it's not fair how easily you can sneak up on people like that. Should be fucking illegal."

 

Castiel chuckled and walked past Sam to pour himself a cup.

 

"Please don't tell me you are one of those disgusting people like my brother who drinks their coffee black?" Sam said, watching as Castiel did exactly that, pouring himself a cup before sipping at it eagerly. "Ugh, how do you still have tastebuds?"

 

"My tastebuds are perfectly fine, thank you," Castiel said primly, taking another sip of the drink, his eyes going to the stairs as Mary came down them. He straightened his back and gave her a hesitant smile.

 

Mary reached out and patted Castiel on the shoulder. "You look a thousand times better than you did yesterday. A good night's rest seems to have done wonders for you, despite missing dinner."

 

Sam snorted. "We had food around midnight," he said, glancing over to Cas. "And cleaned up!" he added, not wanting his Mom to razz him for that.

 

"You did," she agreed, looking around the kitchen. "Now, we have somewhere to be. Castiel, are you ready? There are likely going to be reporters waiting for us at the gym, and while Jody, she's the sherriff, will have one of her folks there to keep them back, you're still going to get mobbed.

 

Castiel shrugged and smiled at her. "Does it sound horrible if I say I'm used to it?"

 

"A little, but we're going to fix that," Mary said, her face determined as she stared at them both. "Sam are you showering at the gym?"

 

"Yeah," Sam said, pushing his fingers through his hair. "I don't have another pair of clothes here that I can possibly fit into, and this was pushing it as it was." he said, looking down at where the sweatpants were several inches above his ankles.

 

Castiel snickered. He hadn't noticed that last night. No wonder the clothes looked so tight on Sam. He glanced down at Sam's chest and swallowed hard, focusing on the coffee again, taking a long sip. "Are we leaving now?"

 

"Yes," Mary said, looking to Castiel. "We've got a lot of work to do, creating a new routine for you, so get ready to work your tail off."

 

Castiel nodded and followed Mary back to the car. Within minutes, they were on their way, silence descending in the early morning, long before the sun was even thinking about rising. He settled back into his seat when a thought occurred. "Is my brother here?"

 

"Oh!" Mary said, smiling in the rearview mirror. "Yes, of course, I'm sorry, I should have told you first thing. He is here, staying in one of our guest rooms at the other end of the house. He wanted to set up shop there, and I gave him free run of the space. I guess one of his assistants is coming in tomorrow, and he'll be working from here until future notice."

 

Castiel blinked and stared at Mary in surprise. "He's going to run things from here?"

 

"Yes," Mary said firmly. "Right now, the single best thing for you is to show that you have allies, and people that are willing to speak up for you and defend you. A united front."

 

Castiel swallowed and bit down on his lip. "I do not want to put you all through this much trouble, it can't possibly be worth it?"

 

Sam turned around to respond, but a hand on his arm from his mother stopped him. He shifted back into his seat and let Mary take over.

 

"And why don't you think so, sweetheart?" Mary asked, driving past the barricade that had been set up yesterday. Immediately, there were news vans following them as they headed down the road, and Mary kept her eyes straight again.

 

"What?" Castiel asked, blinking at her. "What do you mean?"

 

"Why don't you think that you are worth this trouble?" she asked again, glancing at him in the rearview. "Did someone tell you that?"

 

Castiel closed his eyes and a thousand memories of Crowley being angry, of his parents frustrated with his efforts, as though they hadn't been good enough. Bronze was a disgrace, gold should have been his, but he'd fallen, he'd fought with Crowley the night before and he hadn't been able to focus or think about anything other than the fight and-

 

"Cas," Sam called, reaching out to put his hand on Cas' knee. "Cas, come on, focus on us. It's okay. Just keep breathing."

 

"Do these happen often?" Mary asked, glancing at her son.

 

"He's had a couple since I met him yesterday. I think it's the stress of everything," Sam said, glancing over at his month. He smiled when blue eyes snapped to him and focused. "There we go. I'm right here Cas, and we didn't mean to freak you out, promise."

 

"Crowley used to," Castiel said, his voice dead as he stared at the seat in front of him, turning away from Sam's concerned eyes. "He would tell me that when I messed up, or when I said something I wasn't supposed to in front of the press. He said that I kept making more and more work for Gabriel, and that I shouldn't do that. And that if I did, eventually Gabriel would hate me too, just like my parents."

 

Sam bit down a growl and got a reign on his anger. Anger wasn't going to help Castiel. A quick glance at his mother showed that she was striving for a similar amount of control and not quite finding it. "Castiel, they were wrong about that."

 

Castiel shook his head. "Gabriel would get frustrated sometimes, especially when I was younger, with the things I would say. I knew better than to say them, but I would get so angry at their questions..."

 

"Hey," Sam interrupted. "It's one thing to be frustrated, because someone is young and still learning and trying to test the limits. Gabriel might have been frustrated, or even angry, but he didn't quit working for you, did he?"

 

"No," Castiel said, turning his attention back over to Sam. "He didn't stop working for me."

 

"And," Sam added, smiling a little bit when Castiel focused on him. "I bet that he didn't even think about stopping working for you when all of this shit hit the fan, right?"

 

Castiel blinked a little bit and shook his head again. "No. He was awake for almost seventy-two hours straight when this first happened, and he invited me to stay with him, but I thought it was better to stay in my apartment..."

 

Sam nodded. "I understand that, because you felt safe there. But, does staying awake for seventy-two hours sound like someone who doesn't care, Cas?"

 

"I, no?" Castiel asked, staring at Sam in surprise. He'd never considered it that way. He had always thought that Gabriel would be so angry and that after everything was over, he would suddenly up and leave, because none of this could possibly be worth it.

 

"No, it definitely doesn't. Especially when we told him what was going on here and his first thought was not only to come out here, but to move all of his operations out here, so he could help support you," Sam added, glancing out the window when he realized that they were pulled up to the gym. Castiel had a dazzling smile on his face and he was looking a little dazed.

 

"Castiel, honey," Mary interrupted. "We're here. Are you ready? Or do you need a minute?"

 

Castiel took a deep breath and squared his shoulders and looked out the window. "I am more than ready."

 

"Good," she said. "Now, same as yesterday. No responses, hold your head up high and follow Sam into the gym."

 

Castiel nodded and waited for Sam to come around to his door before he slid out of the car. He put a smile on his face (because it was hard not to when he could tell that Sam was walking a little slower than usual so he could keep up), and followed Sam into the gym, doing his best to ignore all of the flashing bulbs and shouted questions at him.

 

It was almost like white noise now, the certainty of Sam's voice in their conversation enough to distract him. Gabriel didn't find him a bother and neither did Sam. It wasn't anything that he had ever had before.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

 

Mary tied up her old skates and slipped onto the ice behind Castiel. "I'm just going to put you through your paces today, see what you can do, where you need to improve, that sort of thing."

 

Castiel nodded and took a deep breath, stepping out onto the ice and taking a slow lap of it, feeling the freshness of it, relaxing as he did. No matter how bad things got outside, he always had this. This feeling of complete and utter inner peace.

 

"Well, if I had any doubts about being your coach they are definitely gone now," Mary said, watching Castiel open his eyes and look at her. She smiled at him and slowed to a stop as he did.

 

"What do you mean?" Castiel said.

 

"Your face. I used to get that look whenever I would go skating as well. I loved it. I loved it so much I never thought I would love anything else. Until John and my boys came along of course," she said, grinning at him. "You love this. You love it down to your very soul."

 

"Of course," Castiel said. He glanced towards the door where he knew the sea of reporters were waiting for him. "Do you think that I would continue to be fighting for my position at Worlds if I didn't?"

 

Mary hummed and followed Castiel along the edge of the rink. "Perhaps. Because you could be doing it for the wrong reasons. Pride, a desperate need to win, things along those lines. However, you're doing it for the best reason, and it makes me proud to be your coach."

 

Castiel blinked and blushed, looking down at his skates as they moved together. "Do you always skate with whoever you are coaching?"

 

Mary shrugged. "Considering I normally coach girls that are no older than ten, you're the first person I've ever had ask me that question. Does it bother you?"

 

Castiel thought about it as they moved towards the computer and where the rest of their notes waited. "No, it's nice not to be shouted at from across the rink."

 

"I bet it is," Mary said with a laugh. "Keep in mind, I can't keep up with you completely, but I like a good free skate just as much as the next person, so don't be surprised if I join you regularly for warm-ups. I get a good feel of the ice and I'll know how to push you better."

 

"Should I be worried?" Castiel asked, spinning around to face her as he skated backwards just as easily as forwards. "Sam did tell me things, you know..."

 

Mary opened her mouth, about to chastise her son she knew was eavesdropping on them from the office when she caught sight of the grin on Castiel's face. She relaxed. "Now that is a facial expression I am excited to see on you. I was wondering if you even knew how to smile after everything."

 

Castiel chuckled and spun around in a lazy circle, stretching himself out a little more. "I do, indeed. A good night's rest and a very good shower does wonders to improve a mood as well as the ability to smile."

 

"May I ask you a question, Castiel?"

 

Castiel nodded his head and stretched his arms far above his head, taking a slow inhale of the ice. He'd missed this, just being able to skate with no particular goal in mind, nothing that he had to do, or people he had to please. When was the last time he had skated just because he wanted to?

 

"When did you start dating Crowley?"

 

Castiel snapped out of his reverie and nearly tripped on the ice, steadying himself after a moment. He turned to face Mary, keeping his face blank as possible. "Why do you want to know that?"

 

Mary hummed. "You don't have to answer it. I'm sorry that I interrupted your skating."

 

Castiel watched as Mary started to move towards the computer again. He went in a lazy circle around the rink and he took a deep breath. She was likely just curious. He was natural, after all, when accepting a new coach, to ask them questions and meet with them and find out about their lives. He shouldn't have been so critical.

 

"He first asked me to be his..." Castiel hummed and thought about it. "His significant other when I was sixteen."

 

Mary choked and spun around to face Castiel. "Excuse me?"

 

Castiel smiled at her. "I refused, of course. I wanted to be on the Olympic team by the time I was eighteen and wanted nothing to distract me away from it. I dismissed the overture for years, as well as the repeated ones he made after that. I thought nothing of it. I felt very grown-up at the time."

 

Mary's head was spinning as she watched Castiel make another slow lap around the rink. He would have to inform Gabriel immediately. "When did you start dating him?"

 

"Just before I turned nineteen. There was a significant age difference, but I didn't care. I was, enchanted by the idea that he had waited for me," Castiel said, humming as he spun in another circle. It was easier to talk about it like this. "I loved him, for a very long time."

 

"May I ask what happened?"

 

Castiel stopped in the center of the nice and spun in a tighter circle. He closed his eyes and thought of Sam, and the easy, dimpled smile he had been given in Sam's bed last night. "I fell out of love with him. Or perhaps I realized that he was manipulating me with our relationship and he only cared about what fame I could bring him, not about me. Maybe both."

 

Mary chewed on her bottom lip. "I'm sorry."

 

"I'm not," Castiel said, opening his eyes to stare at her. "I am sorry for everything that happened afterward, but I have made my peace with the decision to leave him. We had grown apart. He was no longer interested in me in a," he cleared his throat and looked over at her. "way, and I thought he would welcome the offer to break up. I didn't think it would result in, everything that has happened."

 

Mary exhaled hard and watched as Castiel stopped in front of her, looking far more calm than he had the day previous. "I'm sorry this has happened to you. No one deserves what you are going through right now, and if I had a way to change it-"

 

Castiel reached out and gave Mary a gentle hug, squeezing her tight. "You already are. You don't need to do anything other than help me build a routine, and to be my coach."

 

"Castiel, I want to help you fight this," Mary said as the boy pulled away. She turned her head and blinked hard, glancing up at the office where Sam was standing in the window. He could tell from here that he had likely overheard almost everything Castiel had said. "I want to help you show everyone that every word that man said were nothing but lies. You don't deserve any of this."

 

Castiel shrugged and made his way to the center of the rink again. "He was furious with me when I only won bronze. That's when my parents stopped talking to me, as well. I haven't spoken to them since."

 

Mary blinked in surprise. She had known, from Gabriel, that Castiel was not close to his family, but for him to have not heard from his family in that long a time period was... "You won a medal at the Olympics, why were they disappointed?"

 

"I didn't win gold," Castiel said simply. "Crowley was furious as well. He threatened to drop me for another up and coming figure skater. I had to do the Quad, over and over again for him in practice until he was sure that I would never miss one ever again."

 

"Castiel, that's tantamount to abuse," Mary breathed, staring at Castiel as he made another lap in front of her.

 

Castiel shrugged. "The methods are decidedly extreme, I would agree. However, he did make sure that I am able to land that jump. I have not missed it since. I believe that you know that. I've even become known for how good I am at landing them."

 

Mary couldn't argue with that. It was talked about any time that Castiel competed. How his competency with his jumps had no equal in the current landscape of figure skaters with the exception of maybe one or two members of the Russian and Chinese Olympic teams. All of whom would be at Worlds.

 

"What about your artistry?" Mary asked, staring at Castiel. While his technical scores were some of the highest, and he had broken several records, Castiel's movements often came off as robotic and stilted, and the judges penalized him for it, often.

 

Castiel stopped in front of Mary and stared at her. "Judges award points for jumps, not acrobatics," he recited, staring at her. "I was told that, over and over again by Crowley."

 

Mary frowned. "Castiel, who won World's last?"

 

Castiel supplied the name in an instant. "He beat me, quite fairly."

 

Mary smiled at him. "I would agree with that, but not because you were lacking. What did he do that you didn't?"

 

"He got the crowd involved and invested in his performance, he had a far better song choice than I did, and his artistry scores were higher," Castiel recited again.

 

Mary tilted her head and studied Castiel. "How many times did Crowley force you to watch his performance?"

 

"I lost count," Castiel admitted. "I wish I could move like Jason does. It's, breathtaking, to see him capture the audience with every movement. I've never seen anything like it."

 

Mary smiled, unable to keep it from growing bright and wide. "Do you know that you skate exactly like he does?"

 

"No I don't," Castiel contradicted. "I have the technical ability, but that crowd-catching, that eye-catching, it's not something I've ever been able to do, I've been told that for years and years now!"

 

"Castiel, I've been watching you do exactly what Jason does for the past fifteen minutes. The look on your face, the way that you move? It's all there. You've just not been given the chance to harness it before," Mary said, watching as Castiel stopped and stared at his hands, like they would tell him the secret of whatever it was that he was doing.

 

Castiel frowned and stared at his hands before he pushed off and headed towards where Mary was standing. He cleared his throat and took another second to stare at her. "Then perhaps we should get to work."

 

Mary nodded and pointed to the rink behind Castiel. "I could not agree more. Now, take me through your full list of jumps. I want to watch you do each one. I don't care if you land them or not-"

 

"I'll land them all," Castiel protested, staring at her.

 

"I don't care about that," Mary said, shaking her head at him. "I want to see what jumps you feel in your soul, and then we'll work at building a routine around them."

 

Castiel swallowed and started moving around the rink, gaining speed.

 

"Castiel," Mary called. "I want you to start with singles and work your way up from there. You don't need to land a quad for me this second, I've seen you do it."

 

Castiel exhaled again and let himself slow down before spinning into an easy single axel. A jump that he had mastered when he was eight or nine. He giggled and did it again, just for the fun of it. When was the last time he had tried to do something so simple?

 

Mary watched with a grin as Castiel went through his jumps, starting with each of the singles and working his way through the doubles. Some of them he did twice, and almost always he ended up laughing when he landed the second one. There were memories attached, but it was easy to see the joy in his body as he moved.

 

Maybe this would be easier than she thought.

 

 

~!~

 

 

Sam spied on Castiel and his Mom for a few more minutes, but when it was clear that they were done talking about Crowley and everything else Castiel had gone through, he stepped away from the window and exhaled hard.

 

Fuck. _Sixteen_.

 

Crowley had started trying to have a physical relationship with Cas when he was sixteen. He'd started coaching Castiel when he was fourteen or fifteen, something like that, fuck, he'd have to ask Mom, she'd know. He pushed his fingers through his hair and made a face as he suddenly remembered that he hadn't showered yet.

 

He grabbed his spare clothes from the locker and headed down to the showers. The last thing that Castiel would need from him was someone hitting on him, especially after dealing with that bastard for the past eight years. Sam sighed and was glad that he could pour cold water on himself for as long as he wanted. He definitely needed the wake up call.

 

By the time he was showered, clean and feeling a little better about himself, Sam could hear Mary calling out instructions to Castiel. They were simple ones, orders to try a move, or a different jump. She alternated them easily, forcing Castiel to go from a double to a quad, and then down to a single again. Sam grinned. Except this time it wasn't little girls she was bossing around, it was a professional figure skater.

 

"Well, you've got a sappy ass look on your face," Dean said, closing the door behind him.

 

Sam jumped and turned to Dean, looking at him in surprise. "I'm sorry?"

 

"You, don't give me that pretend innocent look. You have the sappiest fucking look on your face. What the hell are you thinking about?"

 

Sam definitely didn't glance towards the rink where Mary's voice echoed as she gave Cas another jump to make.

 

Dean rolled his eyes and groaned. "Dude, you've known him for less than a day."

 

"Shut up," Sam grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don't act like that you weren't over the damn moon the second you found out that Gabriel was his brother and he was coming for an extended visit."

 

Dean smirked and raised his eyebrows at Sam. "Trust me, that has nothing to do with being over the moon."

 

Sam snorted and glared at his brother. "You have been in love with Gabriel for years and you have always refused to admit it don't even get me started!"

 

Dean scowled and rolled his eyes. "Now who is being over dramatic, you know that that is definitely not the case, so don't get on my case when you're mooning over the figure skater that Mom has adopted."

 

"Well, even if she has adopted him, I'm not going to do anything about it," Sam said with conviction, ignoring the dubious look that his brother gave him. "No, seriously man. I'm not going to fuck with him. He had a bastard like Crowley hitting on him when he was sixteen."

 

Dean wrinkled his nose and made a disgusted noise. "Seriously? That's fucking-"

 

"I know, I know, and that's why Castiel needs to fight back with this. Or, rather, Gabriel does, since Castiel needs to focus on skating."

 

Dean nodded and stretched, pushing his fingers through his hair.

 

"Speaking of," Sam said, turning to look at Dean. "What the hell are you doing here so damn early. You have to close tonight."

 

"Charlie is covering for me. Mom called me and said that Castiel could use another body guard when they leave today," Dean said, glaring at Sam. "And frankly, we've got more than enough work to get to, so stop mooning over your wannabe boyfriend and get to work!"

 

Sam waved Dean off and gave the rink one more glance before he headed downstairs. Dean was right, unfortunately, and he had eavesdropped on Castiel for long enough. No need for it now.

 

~!~

 

"Take a break, come get some water," Mary called out to Castiel, watching as he stopped, putting his hands on his knees to pant as he let his momentum carry him towards her. She smiled at him and handed over the water bottle. "You're in better shape than I would have thought."

 

"You're certainly putting me through my paces," Castiel said, opening the bottle and chugging it down quickly. He grinned and stretched. He felt sore in the best way. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been pushed like this. It was refreshing. Mary wasn't asking for routines and pulling together moves because they would get the most points. She just wanted to see what he could do.

 

"I did promise you," Mary reminded him. "And I said that if you still wanted me to be your coach by the end of it, you're never going to get rid of me."

 

Castiel gave her a wide, bright grin. "Well, I'd say that's pretty much certain. Can I ask," he hesitated and stopped, shaking his head as he went over to the recycle bin and threw the bottle in.

 

Mary watched Castiel and tilted her head. "Why did you stop?"

 

Castiel shrugged and skated back towards her, giving her another smile. "You're my coach, you have a method to your madness. You don't need to explain things to me, I'm happy to do whatever you ask."

 

Mary chuckled and shook her head. "Castiel, what question were you going to ask? I promise that it does not matter to me and I am happy to answer any question that you have."

 

Castiel bit his lip. "I wanted to know what you're looking for by making me do the jumps over and over again like this."

 

Mary smiled and motioned him closer, pointing to the computer that had been recording Castiel's workout. "A couple of different things. One, I wanted to see if we could improve any of them. Technically, you are as close to perfect as I have ever seen anyone be, but they don't flow easily, from when you are skating, so we're going to work on that."

 

She hit a button and pointed to another screen. "The other thing I want to know is what your face looks like after each jump. If you are going to capture the crowd and keep them with you, you need more than a catchy song. You need to look like you are enjoying it just as much as the audience is."

 

Castiel frowned and stared at her a little bit more. "I'm always enjoying myself when I skate."

 

"Yes," Mary agreed, tapping a few more keys on the computer. "But look at your face here," she pointed. "Compared to here."

 

Castiel looked at the computer and at the wide grin that was on his face in the first frame and the look of concentration in the second. "What jumps was I doing?"

 

"In the first?" Mary asked, flipping back to it. "A triple toe loop. Whatever you were thinking about, the emotions with it, they were all over your face."

 

Castiel chuckled and hit the button to play him performing the jump again. "I was thinking about the first time I landed that jump. I was young, and it was in a competition, nothing important, just some regional thing we went to for practice more than anything else."

 

"And?" Mary asked, watching Castiel as he grinned, nice and wide.

 

"And it was perfect," Castiel said, his eyes wide and excited. "It wasn't even that I landed it perfect, because I didn't, I wobbled, and Crowley made me pay for it later, but the second I hit the ice, I knew, I knew I was going to land that jump and it was going to be perfect."

 

Mary smirked. "And that is why you love that jump."

 

"Yes," Castiel agreed, turning to her. "But it doesn't score as high as a triple axel. So it is better to do those."

 

"You think the second face you were making is the better of the two?" Mary asked, flipping to the other screenshot she had taken. "You look like you enjoy that jump a lot less. Every single fiber of your being is focused on the jump. None of it is focused on the sheer enjoyment of what you are doing."

 

"Ah," Castiel said, looking at his face. He stared down at the ice. "So I need to work at enjoying that jump more."

 

"No," Mary disagreed, moving forward and tilting Castiel's face up. "Here, do your cool down, just take a few laps and skate and tell me what you were thinking about when you made that jump."

 

Castiel hummed and moved away from her, sliding across the ice easily enough. He took a deep breath. He could trust Mary. He _could_. He could trust her and she wouldn't betray him. There was no harm in the truth, Crowley couldn't hurt him with this anymore.

 

"Castiel?" Mary called after he had made a couple of laps, but hadn't said anything. The expression on his face was sad, almost melancholy.

 

"I hate that jump," Castiel admitted, spinning in another slow circle. "I hate it _so_ much. I know it's the highest point value jump of the triples, I know that I am never going to get away from doing it, but I hate it so much."

 

Mary watched as Castiel moved faster, his face twisting into a grimace. He launched himself into the jump, landing it perfectly. "I didn't ask for the jump, Castiel."

 

Castiel flinched and slid to a stop, panting hard. "I _hate_ it. I want to like it. But I hate it."

 

"Why do you hate it?" Mary asked. She skated towards him and watched as he sank into a crouch, hiding his face against his knees. "Is it one that you couldn't land for a long time?"

 

Castiel sighed and lifted his head to stare at the wall of the rink. "It was the first jump I fell while performing in an international competition. It cost me a medal, that year," he said, his voice quiet. "That was when people first started questioning if I was good as everyone thought."

 

Mary sucked in a quiet breath and reached out to touch Castiel's knee. His voice was barely a whisper and he was breathing hard. "What happened afterward?"

 

Castiel flinched and closed his eyes, remembering the sting of his cheek and the ringing sound that had accompanied the hit. "Please don't ask?"

 

"Okay," Mary said softly, squeezing his knee gently. "It's okay, you don't have to do any of those if you don't want to."

 

"We can't get away with it!" Castiel burst out, lifting his head to glare at Mary. "You cannot have a program without a triple axel, it's a staple of performances now. We can't!"

 

"Castiel," Mary said, looking at him. "We do not have to do the jump. Now, do you trust me?"

 

Castiel bit down on his lip hard and stared at her. He closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes, of course I trust you."

 

"Maybe we'll look at doing the triple axel after we start building out the routine a little bit more, but I will never make you do that jump until you are ready," Mary promised staring at Castiel as he started to relax a little bit.

 

 

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

 

 

"Okay," Castiel whispered, forcing himself to stand. "Do we need to do anything else today?"

 

Mary looked over to the clock and smiled when she saw it was almost noon. "No. We need to get you home, get some food in you, and then I want you to relax with Sam for the rest of the day."

 

Castiel blinked and looked around the gym. "Won't Sam need to stay here?"

 

Mary shook her head. "Dean came in early so Sam can take you home."

 

"Sam doesn't have any other clothing at your house," Castiel said, glancing up towards the office. He was happy when he could see that the window was empty. At least Sam hadn't seen him almost break down over something as stupid as a jump.

 

Mary gave Castiel a bemused smile. "I'm a bit interested to know how you know that, but it's fine. We'll stop at Sam's house before we head home and he can pick up a few things, as well as his car, because he's going to want that."

 

Castiel smiled at her and stood up, stretching slowly. "That would be good. I don't wish to cause any more trouble than I need to."

 

Mary watched Castiel head for the doorway of the rink and grinned. Not wanting to cause more trouble than necessary was a step in the right direction. Now Sam needed to make sure to take things the rest of the way and ensure that Castiel was seeing everything that he was giving as valuable.

 

"You aren't trouble at all," she reminded, coming up behind him and putting protectors on her skates. "But after you go home, eat and have a nap, and don't argue, you're going to nap," she said, pointing a finger in his direction. "After you have a nap, I'm sure you're going to want to speak with your brother, and then you and I can start designing a routine. Do you have music ideas?"

 

Castiel shook his head. "No, nothing that I immediately want to use."

 

"Right," Mary said, grinning at him. "I'll pick a few options from our family library, as well as some more contemporary choices that audiences will respond well to. We'll find something that you like," she promised.

 

Castiel smiled and headed towards the locker room.

 

"Ice bath and massage!" Mary ordered, pleased when Castiel nodded and continued down the same path.

 

"You can stop lurking," she said, turning to her youngest son, watching as he came out of the doorway to the basement with a sheepish grin. "You're picking up bad habits from your brother and father. Stop that."

 

"Sorry, Mom," Sam said, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek. "How did he do today?"

 

Mary smiled at Sam. "I don't know that I've met a figure skater who is as technically skilled as he is. However, he definitely needs work on his artistic abilities. So we're going to focus on that, and build him one hell of a routine."

 

"Was everything okay?" Sam asked, lowering his voice. "I couldn't hear, but I saw you both crouching down on the ice. He didn't look hurt or anything..."

 

Mary shook her head. "That's for him to tell you, but one of the jumps brings back some pretty bad memories for him. I'm going to have to get really creative to make sure he doesn't need to do it in competition."

 

Sam raised both of his eyebrows and glanced after Cas where he was disappearing into the locker rooms. "That bad?"

 

Mary nodded. "Yes, that bad. He had that spooked look you sometimes see on people who are abused, but I don't know if that's what happened or not, he asked me if he didn't have to say."

 

Sam bit down on his lip and pushed his fingers through his hair. "Jesus. Is he going to be okay?"

 

"Oh, he's going to be fine," Mary said, smiling at Sam. "But I want to make sure that we gut, either literally or proverbially, his ex-coach. Gabriel is working on it, but any help that Castiel can give him is going to be appreciated. Now, I ordered an ice bath and a massage. Mind helping him out?"

 

"You got it Mom," Sam said with a sunny smile, hurrying after Castiel into the locker room. The sound of the shower was in the background and Sam headed for the ice machine, getting it up and started before filling the bath.

 

Castiel wandered into the locker room, stretching slowly. He could already feel the soreness creeping into his body and he just wanted to curl up and sleep so he didn't need to think about anything for hours. Sam was waiting for him with the ice bath and he gave a grateful smile.

 

Sam took Castiel's shirt and held his arm while he climbed into the deep tub and sank into the ice with a hiss. "Yeah, bet that feels good."

 

"Good and bad, like things usually do," Castiel murmured, leaning back against the tub. "Your mother-"

 

"Put you through your paces. I know. I saw some of it. She's been coaching young girls for years, you're the first experiment she gets to do to see if she can coach some older people as well," Sam said stretching. "You need another bucket, or you good?"

 

Castiel shook his head. "I'm not going to need this for long. I just need a few minutes so your massage can be more effective. If you don't mind giving one?"

 

Sam grinned and winked at Castiel. "I don't mind at all. And if I didn't do what my Mom asked, you can bet that I would be in trouble faster than you can tie a pair of skates."

 

Castiel chuckled and closed his eyes, leaning against the rim of the tub. "You are ridiculous."

 

"I know," Sam agreed. "But you seem to like that, so I'm going to keep it up until you tell me otherwise."

 

Castiel hummed his agreement and let his sore muscles start to relax into the ice water. Sam had set a timer, and after eight minutes it went off, forcing him to open his eyes. Castiel glared at Sam for a minute. "Why am I awake?"

 

Sam chuckled and offered his hand to Castiel. "Because you could fall asleep on my warm massage table while I turn you into goo instead of in an ice bath."

 

Castiel snorted and climbed out of the bath with Sam's help, heading for the massage table.

 

"Does that snort mean you agree with me, or does that snort just mean that you are too tired to care and you just want to go back to sleep?"

 

Castiel opened one eye to stare at Sam as he settled into position and he grinned. "I don't believe that I can be agreeing with you on everything already. That would be boring."

 

Sam chuckled and went over to the shelf and pulled down two different bottles of oil. "Something tells me that you might like boring right about now, after everything you have been dealing with."

 

Castiel opened both of his eyes and stared at Sam's back through the tight t-shirt. Sam set down the other small bottle and Castiel smiled when he turned back to him on the table. "I have to keep some secrets."

 

"So you do," Sam agreed, pulling a blanket over Castiel, careful to make sure he was completely covered while he lit a candle.

 

"Candles are supposed to come with dinner," Castiel mumbled, glancing up at it as a vanilla scent started to fill the air. He closed his eyes and breathed it in, nice and slow.

 

Sam chuckled. "I'll be making you dinner later. So just consider it an advance on the food I'm going to be making you when we get back to my parents place."  

 

Castiel blinked his eyes open for a moment before letting them fall shut again. "You're going to make me dinner?"

 

"Yes," Sam said, slowly pouring some of the oil into his hand. "Now shush and sit back and enjoy. I promise this'll feel awesome."

 

Castiel let himself fall into the lull of a skilled massage. Sam's hands were big, steady and sure in each of their sweeping movements, slowly undoing every single knot in his body until he was nothing more than the boneless heap that Sam had promised.

 

By the time Sam was done with his back, Castiel was aware of the low-grade arousal tingling in his groin and he knew it wouldn't be a problem until Sam, of course, asked him to turn over. He swallowed and tensed up, opening his eyes to look up at Sam. "I require a moment Sam."

 

Sam smiled and nodded, stepping away from the table. "Take your time. Do you need me to leave?"

 

Castiel squirmed when the idea of Sam staying, of Sam seeing him like this made his 'problem' all the more obvious. "No, I will be quite all right."

 

"It's a very natural reaction, I promise. Nothing that's going to bother me or anything like that," Sam said, washing off his hands a minute later. "So don't worry about it and just focus on getting relaxed."

 

Castiel gave a firm nod, even though Sam couldn't see him and cleared his throat. "I can do that."

 

Sam smiled and reached out for a paper towel, drying off his hands. "Sounds like a good plan. May I turn around now?" he asked.

 

Castiel glanced down and saw that his problem wasn't obvious any longer. It would be safe for Sam to turn around. He cleared his throat. "Yes, of course."

 

Sam turned on his heel and reached out for the second bottle of massage oil. He poured it into his hands and moved the blanket away from Castiel's arm. "Now, let's make sure you are all taken care of."

 

"Happy endings and all?" Castiel quipped, winking at Sam.

 

Sam burst out laughing and shook his head. "I was wondering when I would start seeing more of your sense of humor." He worked his way down Castiel's arm and then leg, massaging easily and slowly, working out the tension that he could feel in Castiel's body.

 

"I’ve always had a sense of humor," Castiel said. "It's merely been a victim of these circumstances."

 

Sam smiled and moved to Castiel's shoulders, rotating his arms slowly, making sure there were no apparent issues for him there. Everything looked fine, which meant that while Castiel was pushing himself, he wasn't doing it to the point of detriment. "You don't deserve that's happening," he said quietly, working towards Cas' legs.

 

Castiel closed his eyes again as Sam started to massage his legs, hissing a little as his calves were sore, making him twitch a little at the added pressure he wasn't expecting. It was good, but damn if he wasn't going to feel this in some way in the morning. "I believe that I do. It's my fault for not taking the measures that I needed to so that things could be fixed earlier."

 

Sam rolled his eyes. "Now you're being too harsh on yourself. You know that isn't the case."

 

Castiel let the silence of the room take over again and took some slow inhales of the vanilla scented air. "No, I don't. I brought these circumstances upon myself, first with entering into a relationship with Crowley, and then choosing to leave him."

 

"If you didn't feel like you could leave at any time, you were being trapped into a relationship you didn't want," Sam said, moving over to Castiel's feet, pressing his thumbs into the arch of his foot, watching the figure skater gasp and groan. He smiled and repeated it, pushing his thumb in again.

 

"I couldn't leave at any time. He was my coach," Castiel said, closing his eyes and settling into the table a little more.

 

"I know," Sam said, moving around to other Castiel's other side. "That's why I'm saying that he pushed you into something he definitely shouldn't have. It wasn't fair to you, or anyone involved, for that matter."

 

Castiel hummed, keeping his eyes carefully closed. The panic that had taken him over yesterday was still there, still waiting for him, but now, Sam's words made it seem so simple. That it was easy to move on and forget precisely what had happened with everything. That now he had friends, almost a family who were willing to fight for him, to make sure that he got what he needed.

 

"I suppose," he agreed, his voice slurred and tired.

 

"Go ahead and fall asleep if you are going to," Sam said, grinning at Castiel. "You wouldn't be the first to doze off on me, and you look like you could use it. I'm sure you're going to crash as soon as you get some food into you."

 

Castiel would have argued with Sam, if he wasn't sure that Sam was one hundred percent correct. "I am still catching up on my sleep."

 

Sam smiled and bit down on his lip, massaging into Castiel's arm. "I know that you are. I'm just teasing. If you don't want me to I won't."

 

"I like that you tease me," Castiel whispered, biting down on his lip after he let the words escape. Sam didn't show any sign of hearing them, so maybe he would be able to get away with that for the moment.

 

Sam swallowed hard and focused on the slow rhythm of the massage. That was, it was almost inviting to hear Castiel say something like that. Inviting in a way that was both terrifying and good all at once. "I'll keep that in mind," he said, moving to Castiel's head, reaching out to start to massage his temples.

 

Castiel gave a loud groan and shifted, arching into the touch a little.

 

"I think someone is a sucker for a head massage," Sam said, combing his fingers through Castiel's hair before sinking his hands in properly to give Cas the massage that he was looking for.

 

Castiel bit down on his lip, trying to prevent the groan that wanted to escape again, but it was no use, it felt too good and he couldn't remember the last time that someone had done this for him, whether it was Crowley or someone else. "You're very good at that," he muttered.

 

Sam chuckled and worked his way to the back of Castiel's skull, continuing the deep massage that he could tell the figure skater needed. "I should hope so. I did go to school for this, after all."

 

"Yes," Castiel said. He remembered that. Sam was also pre-law. Had studied on the west coast before returning here for some reason to, to, do something. "Why did you come back here?"

 

Sam's hands stilled for a moment and he chewed on his lower lip as he thought about how he wanted to answer that particular question. It wasn't an easy one. "Here meaning to Minnesota, right? You want to know why I came home when I was doing everything else in California."

 

"Mmmhmm," Castiel said, blinking his eyes open sleepily to stare at Sam. "I would like to know, yes."

 

Sam thought about it for a long minute as he worked down Castiel's neck and thought about what he wanted to say. "It's a long story."

 

Castiel opened his eyes and looked up at Sam. He gave a faint grin. "We've got time. I've been ordered to go home and relax with you for the afternoon."

 

Sam chuckled and pulled his hands away as he finished and made his way over to the sink, washing them off. "All right, then I'll make you a deal. You take your time getting ready and I'll see what I can do about telling you the story of why I came back home."

 

Castiel nodded and sat up slowly. "All right, I can do that."

 

Sam grinned and pushed his fingers through his hair. "I'll be waiting for you out by the rink and then we can get you out of here and get you fed."

 

Castiel laughed. "Yes, clearly. Food and sleep. Sounds damn perfect."

 

"Hell yes it does."

 

~!~

 

The rest of the afternoon was almost, _boring_ , after they got past the bedlam of reporters (and fucking hell there were more of them than there were the day before) and headed towards his house, Sam was able to pack a bunch of spare clothes as well as stuff he would need.

 

"Are you planning on staying for a while?" Castiel asked, his eyes widening a little bit when he saw the size of the bag that Sam was bringing with him.

 

"Yes," Sam said, winking at Castiel. "I can't leave you alone with my mother, heaven forbid, she might pull out the baby pictures."

 

Castiel blinked and he smirked, raising an eyebrow at Sam. "You shouldn't have mentioned that."

 

Sam groaned and wiped at his face. "You're right, I shouldn't have." He glanced at a van that was starting to drive down the road and sighed, sliding into the car again. "Come on, time to get followed all the way back to my parents place. I'll be happy when this dies down."

 

"So will I," Castiel said, glaring out the tinted windows. "I wish people weren't interested."

 

Sam reached out and gave Castiel a small squeeze on the arm. "People aren't. And people take your side far more than you are being led to believe. You're just being swarmed with the worst news, over and over again and it's affecting how you are seeing things."

 

Castiel sighed and turned to look at Sam. "You are too nice to me, and rather biased, I believe."

 

Sam laughed and focused on the road as he started driving again. "I might be biased, you aren't wrong. However, that doesn't mean I'm not also right," he said with a wink.

 

Castiel snorted and rolled his eyes, settling into the seat. "I get to pick the first Netflix binge."

 

"Just don't pick something sappy. I don't care, but I don't want to put up with the teasing from Dean and your brother," Sam said, turning down the road his parents lived on.

 

"Gabriel!" Castiel said in shock, sitting up immediately. "I forgot! How could I forget about him?! He's going to be so angry that I haven't-"

 

"Woah, woah, woah," Sam said, reaching out to pat Castiel. "No, he's not going to be angry. You're not supposed to be focusing on him, you were supposed to focus on skating this morning, because he was going to be waiting for you this evening. He's fine. He knew where you were, knew you were safe, everything is totally fine."

 

Castiel exhaled and dropped his face into his hands. "Are you certain?"

 

"Since he called me earlier and asked how you were doing? Yes, I am," Sam said, grinning a little bit as he waved at Jody and Donna, both of their cars blocking off the road for the paparazzi. They moved for him and he headed down the rest of the road, pulling up to his parent’s house.

 

Castiel huffed. "Of course he checked in on me."

 

"Of course he did," Sam agreed. "He _is_ your brother, after all. Now, don't get angry at him. He's just worried about you."

 

Castiel smiled a little bit and slid out of the car as soon as they pulled up to the house. "It will be good to see him again. I've missed him," he said, then wrinkled his nose a little bit. "Well, I miss him, perhaps not his teasing."

 

Sam snickered. "If I remember right, he and Dean got into some pretty epic prank wars."

 

"Oh yes," Castiel said, waiting for Sam to pull his bag out of the back of the truck. "They did. They were far more known for that than any of their grades or other accomplishments at the school."

 

Sam shrugged the bag over his shoulder and led the way to the front door. "Well, if you have to be known for something..." He winked at Castiel. "Come on, I'll show you where your brother is."

 

Castiel followed Sam and when he heard Gabriel's voice on the phone, he dashed around Sam and headed for the open door. He yanked it all of the way open and relaxed at the sight of Gabriel and Hannah, both of them typing frantically on their respective computers. "Gabriel," he breathed. 

 

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

 

"I've got to call you back," Gabriel snapped into the phone, shutting it immediately. "Cassie!" he said, stepping around the desk, wrapping his brother in a tight hug, squeezing him hard. "I've been fucking _worried_ about you."

 

Castiel smiled and relaxed into the hug from his brother, something in his chest loosening. He was going to be all right. Gabriel was here, and they were going to figure things out, they were. "I happen to have a new coach now, Gabriel."

 

"I know," Gabriel said, chuckling and pulling away from Castiel long enough to let Hannah get in a hug as well. "Pulling Mary Winchester out of retirement? The figure skating world fucking exploded, in a _good_ way. If there was ever a way to start moving people away from what had happened with Crowley, that was it."

 

Castiel glared at his brother. "That wasn't my intention when I came out here. I didn't even know she lived out here. I just wanted-"

 

"I know," Gabriel interrupted, his voice going quieter. "I'm sorry things followed you out here and I couldn't keep it quiet for you. I wanted to. You're just a little too polarizing."

 

Castiel sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I'd like to be a little bit less polarizing."

 

"I'm sure," Gabriel said, reaching up to ruffle Castiel's hair. "But, we have to deal with this and move on from there. There's nothing we can do about it for the time being. Hannah and I are here, and we're going to help."

 

Castiel smiled at him and chewed his lip. "We aren't interrupting your normal work?"

 

"Of course you are," Hannah said, moving past Castiel to the fax machine that she had set up in the corner. "It's the best thing that's happened to us in months. You gave us an excuse to get out of New York. Why would we ever complain about something like that?"

 

"Hey! I like New York!" Gabriel said, pouting.

 

"No," Hannah corrected, tapping numbers on the machine. "You like the size of the gay community there, because you are desperately trying to hide the fact that you still have feelings for someone you met in college."

 

Gabriel coughed and glared at her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

 

"Right," Hannah said, watching the fax send before she went back to her computer. "That's why you are blushing steadily darker the longer the time goes by."

 

Castiel grinned at her and turned back to his brother. "Well, at least he's here, so you can put any ghosts you might have to rest."

 

Hannah snorted. "Believe me, that isn't all he's planning to put to rest here. Not if he has his way."

 

"Hannah!" Gabriel snapped, turning to his brother. "Look, we've got things here. I'm glad to see that you've slept, but take it easy and let us do our jobs. We're good."

 

"Cas," Sam called, leaning against the doorframe, grinning at the small family in the room together. "I started our late lunch, it's going to be ready in about ten minutes. Spaghetti all right?"

 

Castiel nodded eagerly and reached out to give Gabriel another tight hug. "I am glad you are here, Gabriel."

 

Gabriel closed his eyes and tightened his hold on Castiel, squeezing him tight before letting him go and pushing him towards the kitchen.

 

"Well, well, well, that's interesting," Hannah said, glancing over at Gabriel.

 

"What?" Gabriel asked, turning his attention to her.

 

Hannah snorted and rolled her eyes. "Pay attention the next time the two of them are in a room together. Sam looks like a puppy."

 

Gabriel blinked and looked at the empty doorway. He shook his head and pushed his fingers through his hair. "I've got enough shit to worry about, I don't need to be thinking about fanboys of my brother."

 

Hannah looked up at Gabriel and raised an eyebrow. "Would one of those things be Dean Winchester?"

 

"Hannah," Gabriel warning, settling behind his computer again, starting to tap at the keys. "We are not going to talk about Dean any more. It's not something that I can worry about, and not something that I am going to worry about, plain and simple."

 

Hannah stared at her boss for a long moment and cleared her throat. "Cruel comments and teasing aside Gabriel, you do deserve to be happy. He has come the closest to making you happy."

 

"And he made it abundantly clear what things were between us," Gabriel said, shaking his head. "It was a temporary, quick and dirty thing to him. To me, as well."

 

"I believe that, almost as much as I believe you didn't see the way that Castiel looked at Sam when he was leaving the room," Hannah quipped, focusing on her computer again.

 

Gabriel didn't say anything for a long time, but when he did, it was strictly work related. Hannah had made her living of knowing when to drop things, and this was without a doubt, one of those moments. She smiled and went back to work. She'd at least planted the seed, and maybe now Gabriel would be able to find some closure around what had happened.

 

 

 

~!~

 

 

 

The nice thing about certain television shows was that they were made to fall asleep during. Law and Order was definitely one of those shows. Sam blinked blearily at the Netflix program open on the computer. Well, at least they'd only napped for an hour this time around.

 

He glanced at Castiel and the way he was curled up in a tight ball under the blanket he had stolen off the back of the couch. Sam lifted the laptop off their laps and put it on the coffee table. Fuck it, he didn't give a shit if Dean teased him.

 

Sam shifted on the couch, earning several grumpy noises from Castiel. He ignored them and got himself situated. When annoyed blue eyes snapped to his, Sam just raised an eyebrow. "You going to get over here, or what?"

 

Castiel huffed and rolled his eyes, climbing carefully on top of Sam before settling into the same position as the day before, his head pressed to Sam's collar, and Sam's arm easily around his waist.

 

He swallowed and relaxed, sinking into the heat that Sam offered, especially when the blanket was wrapped around them both. Castiel closed his eyes and nuzzled into Sam's shirt, hoping that Sam didn't notice exactly what it was that he was doing. He licked his lips and sighed. He should not keep doing this. It would only end poorly for the both of them.

 

Sam smiled and closed his eyes, glad that this couch was big enough to fit him, even if it wasn't comfortable for several hours at a time. Castiel laying sprawled on top of him made it comfortable. All of the frustration and tiredness smoothed away from his face as he settled into sleep again and Sam bit down on his lip, grinning even more widely at the skater.

 

Castiel needed his sleep. He didn’t need to be woken up by some idiot with a crush on him grinning at him like that. He closed his eyes and rested his head back against the armrest. He could doze off for a little while.

 

~!~

 

 

Sam woke up to a hand shaking his shoulder and realized that Castiel had already disappeared from his arms. He fought down the immediate surge of disappointed and looked up at his Mom, giving her a grin. "Hey. Everything okay?"

 

Mary studied her youngest son and smiled at him. "Yes. Castiel is fine. Just in the kitchen. Picking the songs from the ones I suggested, trying a few more."

 

Sam nodded and sat up, pushing his fingers through his hair with a yawn. "He's totally fine physically. Gave him an ice bath and a massage. I'd recommend keeping it up, he's been a tense mess both times I've gotten my hands on him."

 

Marry hummed and glanced towards the kitchen. "Perfection was always demanded of him, so I'm not surprised. We'll likely need to keep that up. You okay with that?"

 

Sam grinned and managed to get to his feet, stretching. "Yeah, totally fine." He snapped his laptop shut a few minutes later and winked at her. "I'll be more than fine. Do you want me to crash in-"

 

"That's what I was going to ask you about," Mary said, stopping her son from leaving the room. "We have a few more people staying with us than I anticipated."

 

Sam blinked and looked at her, tilting his head. He did a quick count of the rooms. "Dean, Cas, Hannah, Gabriel-shit," he swore.

 

Mary chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "Correct. So, we have two choices. Either you sleep out in the barn," she grinned a little wider when Sam scowled at her. "Or you share the room with Cas, since it's the only one with a bed big enough for two people."

 

Sam frowned a little and looked at his Mom. Her face looked totally innocent, but he'd known his Mom for long enough to know that there was likely an ulterior motive at play there. "Why not just tell me to crash at home?"

 

"Because you won't listen to me. Your brother already made that abundantly clear. And until he and Gabriel sort out their...differences, we are a room short," Mary said, smiling at Sam.

 

"Mom..." Sam said, giving her a look. She only smiled at him and shoo'd him out the door.

 

"Go help Castiel pick out some music. I'm sure he'd love to have another opinion that isn't mine," Mary said, turning back to the television. "I've been working with Gabriel, it's my turn to keep the living room to myself and your father for a few hours."

 

Sam chuckled and headed for the doorframe, stopping just outside it, looking back at her. "I'm not sure this is a good idea," he said, keeping his voice quiet.

 

"You're good for him, Sam," Mary countered, her eyes on the television as she picked up the remote. "Whatever context that is in, that very simple fact remains true. And Castiel needs people like you in his life right now."

 

Sam huffed and headed for the kitchen. His Mom was going to get her way whether he argued or not. Not that he didn't want to stay with Castiel (he was too adorable first thing in the morning, and he wasn't going to complain about getting to see that regularly), or curl up with him all night. Things were just going to get, well, a little complicated.

 

On the other hand, they could be as complicated as Dean and Gabriel were right now. Sam snickered and walked into the kitchen, shaking his head. That was one knot he wasn't sure even his Mom would be able to untangle. But at least they were all going to be underfoot for the foreseeable future. He might as well not bother to complain about her meddling.

 

"Hey," Sam called as he walked into the kitchen. Castiel was staring at their computer, a look of frustration on his face. Sam grabbed a soda from the fridge and paused, looking over at Castiel. "Want anything to drink?"

 

Castiel shook his head and paused the song, rubbing a hand over his face. "I do not like the choices of music that your mother has picked out for me. They are too...sedate," Castiel said.

 

Sam chuckled and settled into the seat by Castiel, looking over some of the options that his Mom had picked out and queued up for Castiel to listen to. "She knows what figure skaters tend to dance to. It'd be good to listen to at least some of them."

 

"I’ve listened to almost all of them, but none of them have that, that," Castiel frowned, struggling to find the right words. "None of them hit you, square in the chest, unable to make you stop what you are doing to listen."

 

"Ah," Sam said, looking over the playlist. "You need something a little bit faster then. Here, I've got a couple of bands that might work." He opened his laptop and his music program a second later. "Is there anything in particular you want?"

 

Castiel shook his head, leaning over Sam's arm to look at the name of the band. He frowned at it. "Two Steps From Hell?"

 

"One of my favorites for workouts and when I need proper motivation," Sam said, clicking on one of his favorites to play for Cas. He watched blue eyes go wide as they listened. "Do we have a winner?"

 

"No, I liked the song, but it does not quite have all of the elements that I require. May we listen to more like it?" Castiel asked, typing the band into Pandora.

 

"Hell yeah, I've got a couple other I can recommend too," Sam said, pointing to the next artist. "Here's another I like, Les Friction. Similar music to Two Steps From Hell."

 

Castiel nodded. "They've been used in routines in the past few months, the artist is familiar to many figure skaters."

 

Sam translated that in his head. "Meaning that it might be used by other figure skaters and not thought of as unique."

 

"Correct," Castiel said, listening to the first thirty seconds of another song before dismissing it. "I need something new. Powerful. And yet familiar all at the same time. A sound that will resonate with-"

 

"Hey," Sam said, stopping Cas before he could skip to the next song. "I've got an idea."

 

Castiel scowled a little, but relinquished the laptop over to Sam, watching as he typed in the name of an artist. "Lindsey? Who is she?"

 

"She's a violinist," Sam said, grinning nice and wide as he picked one of his favorite songs. "Listen to this and tell me if this is what you're looking for."

 

Sam watched as Castiel started listening, and then as his eyes went wide and he focused on the computer, the screen the object of his complete and total focus.

 

"I can't use this song. It has lyrics," Castiel said, closing his eyes as the music built and built. "But it's perfect. Do all her songs have lyrics?"

 

"No," Sam said, watching as Castiel started to sway with the music. "Majority of her stuff doesn't have lyrics. But this one does. It's my favorite. Here, if you like Shatter Me, you're going to like this one too."

 

Sam clicked on his second most-played Lindsey Stirling song. Castiel's eyes widened even more and he yanked the computer back towards him. Sam waited for when the music dropped and started to gain speed.

 

Castiel's eyes were wide, and Sam knew that he wasn't looking at the computer screen. He was thinking of the routine in his head. He waited for the first crescendo and watched as Castiel slammed his eyes shut, his breathing coming fast and heavy.

 

The rest of the song passed without Castiel moving and when it was over, Sam hit the pause button to prevent anything else from playing and looked at Cas. "Hey, Cas, are you all right?"

 

"I have to skate to that song," Castiel whispered, licking his lips. "That song, Sam, that song was made for a figure skating routine. I don't know that I will be able to do it justice, but I have, I _have_ to try."

 

Sam grinned and put his computer down. "I'm not in the slightest bit worried about you doing it justice. You will. My Mom wouldn't be coaching you if she didn't think you were capable of some of the best figure skating she's ever seen." He watched Castiel flush and chew on his lower lip and Sam had to clench his hands against his thighs to stop himself from kissing Cas senseless.

 

"Now, I'm guessing you want to use that for your short program and we still need to find your long program, right?" he asked, flipping through his library again.

 

Castiel nodded, his eyes half-closed, still swaying to the beat of the last song. "Yes, you are correct."

 

"How much of a point deduction is it if you play a song with music?" Sam asked, flipping through a few more screens. "You liked that first Lindsey song. It would work for the long program, wouldn't it?"

 

Castiel shook his head, even as Sam queued it up to play again. He swallowed hard, even as the music swelled over him and swept him away, just like it had before. "The point deduction is too high."

 

Sam smiled. "But is it worth it to completely capture the audience and get the artistic scores?"

 

Castiel hesitated and opened his eyes to look at the computer. "I must talk to Mary about that. She will need to make the final decision."

 

"Well," Sam said, laughing as he put down the computer. "I bet that was a hell of a lot easier than you were expecting."

 

Castiel smiled and nodded, leaning back against his chair, staring at the computers in front of him. "I do like her music, Sam."

 

"I know," Sam said. "And hey. It's not like this is the Olympics. If they make you - just change the song to one without lyrics. Or put in a third quad, or something crazy."

 

Castiel snorted and gave Sam a half-hearted glare. "Don't be ridiculous."

 

"That's actually exactly what I'm planning for you," Mary said, stepping into the living room. "I'm guessing by the lack of music, you've made your choice?"

 

Castiel bit his lip. "Yes. One of them includes lyrics."

 

Mary frowned for a second and stepped closer to the computer. "That will be a little difficult to get around, and if it's a full song, they'll deduct-"

 

"I know," Castiel said. "But Mary, listen to the song."

 

Mary nodded and smiled at Castiel. "What about the second one?"

 

Castiel lit up and immediately grabbed Sam's computer, playing the song for her again. By the time it was finished, she had a large grin on her face and was tapping her foot to the music. He held his breath.

 

"I think this is an excellent choice of song, Castiel," Mary praised, flipping through Sam's library. "But now that you've played this for me, I think I have an idea for what you might like for your long program instead of one by lyrics. It's...similar."

 

Castiel tilted his head. "You don't want to listen to the song?"

 

Mary smiled at him and selected a different band. "I want you to listen to this one and tell me if this is what you would like to skate to. It's the perfect length and won't require an extended version."

 

Castiel bit down on his lip and watched as she started to play the song. "2Cellos?"

 

Sam immediately sat up and grinned. "Oh, if you like Lindsey Stirling, you're going to love them!"

 

Castiel glanced over at Sam and saw his eager and wide grin and closed his eyes. The beginning of the song was predictable, almost boring and he swayed with it, his mind going back to the other Lindsey Stirling song. Then, just like with hers, it, _changed_.

 

He sucked in a breath, his eyes flying open as he stared at the screen, imagining the routine as the music started to pick up, the tempo and speed steadily increasing.

 

Mary smiled as she stared at Castiel, at the way he was completely and totally sucked into the music. It was easy to see how much he loved the song. He was breathing with the tempo in a manner of seconds and she grinned at him, a little more widely. "I think that we have a winner?" she offered up, watching Sam grin nice and wide with her.

 

"Come on Mom, now you have to admit it, these are the new times and these are what everyone is going to love for the future," Sam teased.

 

"The songs certainly are catchy, I will absolutely give that to you," Mary admitted, resting one hand on Castiel's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Why don't you sketch out what is going through your head right now and we can start talking about routines in all seriousness tomorrow?"

 

Castiel gave a frantic nod and chewed on his lip. "Yes, yes, of course," he managed.

 

It didn't take long for Castiel to have a paper filled with suggestions, and Mary stopped by only once a few hours later to make sure that Castiel didn't have any of the triple axel written on the paper. It took a few crossed out lines, but when she replaced them with Quads, Castiel sucked in a breath and stared at her.

 

Sam gave a blinding grin as Castiel chewed on his lip and then nodded, agreeing with her changes and went back to sketching. Sam took his computer back and slowly started writing, eager to make sure that he saved this music and he would get to see whatever Castiel and his mother were planning.

 


	11. Chapter 11

 

It wasn't until later that evening, Mary interrupted them both and reminded them that they were going to need to head to bed soon, if they wanted to be up early in the morning again. Since they absolutely did, Sam stood up and stretched, nice and long, before he remembered exactly what the sleeping arrangements were going to be and he tensed up, looking at Cas.

 

"Uh, Cas, did Mom talk to you?" Sam asked.

 

"Yes, of course. She mentioned that we would be sharing the room. Would you prefer to sleep on the bed? I can sleep on the-"

 

"Don't you dare," Sam snapped, half-glaring at Castiel. "Do you have any idea how much shit my mother would give me if I let you sleep anywhere but that bed?"

 

Castiel laughed and smiled at Sam.

 

Sam ignored the way it made his stomach swoop. Because dammit Castiel was beautiful like that, and he wasn't ever going to be able to get over just how breathtaking he was.

 

"So I take it this means that you are okay with the arrangement from last night?" Castiel offered.

 

Sam swallowed and nodded immediately. It definitely wasn't good for his self control, but he was more than fine with the arrangement, especially if it made sure that neither of them were sleeping on the floor. He stretched and closed the laptop, unplugging it to bring upstairs. "Yeah, as long as you don't mind me ending up draped all over you. I won't be able to prevent that every single night, but I will do my best to make sure-"

 

"I don't mind," Castiel interrupted, staring at Sam. He bit down on his lip and turned to head up the stairs. "I do wish to take a shower this evening, so I don't have to in the morning."

 

Sam absolutely did not let himself get distracted with the mental image of Castiel in the shower. He did not. There was no way that he could. He needed to remember that Castiel was just coming off a terrible relationship and the best thing for him right now was going to be space, not a rebound.

 

He followed Castiel up the stairs and headed to his room, busying himself with his duffle bag while Cas grabbed some clothing and headed into the bathroom. Sam groaned and pressed his face into his hands. His Mom was going to end up killing him, one way or another. He could picture her laughing in her bedroom.

 

"Matchmaker," he muttered under his breath, grabbing a spare pair of sweatpants and getting them on before climbing into bed. At least in terms of sharing, Castiel didn't mind if he took the side closest to the door. They had more than enough things to worry about. Like how the hell he was going to make sure his dreams behaved as much as the rest of him. That wasn't looking good. At least not so far. His dreams were definitely fickle bastards. _Fuckers_.

 

It was only ten or fifteen minutes or so when Castiel came out of the shower and Sam caught a glimpse of a towel wrapped around Castiel's waist and shoved his face in a pillow so he didn't end up groaning out loud. Fucking hell, Castiel was so gorgeous, it was illegal. Completely and totally illegal and dammit, he wanted things that he wasn't supposed to want. Sam sucked in a breath as Castiel got dressed and climbed into bed.

 

He could smell his shampoo on Castiel and realized that the other man had probably used his shampoo either without thinking about it, or had just grabbed it out of reflex. Either way, fuck, there was no way he could have ever imagined something being so hot. Sam sucked in a slow breath and felt Castiel tense on the other side of the bed. He snapped to attention. "Cas?"

 

"Yes, Sam?" Castiel asked, opening his eyes to look at Sam.

 

"Everything okay? You tensed up there..."

 

Castiel hummed and snuggled into the pillow a little more. "Are you regretting the decision to have our sleeping arrangements like this? I can still-"

 

"Cas," Sam interrupted. "I am not regretting anything, I promise you that. I'm just not used to sharing my bed with someone. It's been a little while and you're gorgeous," he said before cutting himself off with a pained look to the ceiling. He had not meant to let that escape. Fuck, he needed to be far more careful about the things that he was telling Castiel.

 

"You think I'm gorgeous?" Castiel asked, staring at Sam's face. He could almost tell that Sam was blushing in the light of the moonlight and he smiled, quickly. Sam's eyes snapped open and were staring at him.

 

Sam shook his head. "I know it, don't think it," he whispered back, taking a deep breath and hoped he wasn't stepping too far. Fuck, Cas should just kick him out of bed like this.

 

"Well," Castiel said, smiling and closing his eyes. "The feeling is very mutual, Sam. Goodnight."

 

Sam blinked and stared at Castiel as he smiled again and relaxed into the pillow. Had that been sarcastic? Or just Castiel's way of dismissing him so they didn't talk about it again? What was going on? Fuck! He was about to demand Cas tell him what the fuck that was supposed to mean when a hand dropped to his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze before falling to the bed between them.

 

Sam relaxed and smiled a little, watching as Castiel's breathing started to deepen. He gave it a few more moments before he closed his own eyes and relaxed further into the comfort of sleep. Well, apparently his Mom knew far more than she was letting on. He certainly hadn't expected that.

 

Sam fell asleep with a smile on his face and maybe more hope in his heart than he should have had.

 

~!~

 

A handful of weeks later, the last of the press was starting to fade away from their morning routine. Sam grinned when he saw only one lonely news van waiting for them at the gym. He glanced over at Castiel in the back seat and saw that he was smiling as well. "Looks like they are finally losing interest."

 

"It's taken them long enough," Castiel grumbled, sipping his tea.

 

"Very true," Mary said, smiling at them both as she slid out of the car.

 

Sam climbed out as well and made his way over to the gym. "You know they're going to show up again when we've got a week until Worlds and everyone is going to want to know if this will be your triumphant return, or if you are going to let the pressures of the situation overwhelm you."

 

Castiel chuckled and grinned at Sam as he opened the door. "Are you writing their headlines for them now? They certainly don't need the help."

 

Sam couldn't help but take a moment to admire how much Castiel had changed in such a short period of time. His smiles were coming quicker and easier, and a sarcasm he would not have thought the man capable of was starting to emerge. Castiel was absolutely never going to be a morning person though, that much was clear from the glowers he got from them waking up every single morning together.

 

Which had started to add a new flavor. Sam looked over his shoulder to make sure that his Mom and Castiel were on their way over to the rink while he headed up to the office.

 

Things were going to come to a head, whether they wanted them to or not, and both he and Cas were trying to dance around it, and ultimately, failing. This morning, they had woken up, Castiel cuddled into his chest (which Sam had stopped minding around the second day it had started happening), but with a decidedly detectable physical response.

 

Maybe it was the lack of stress, maybe it was Castiel starting to feel at home, maybe it was Castiel being attracted to him, but Sam had been very glad for being a light sleeper the last three nights, where Castiel had woken up hard and starting to rock into him. Sam took a slow, deep breath and pushed his fingers through his hair and went over to the coffee machine and made himself a cup.

 

It didn't take long for him to head back downstairs to watch the routine that was looking better and better every time he saw it. Lindsey Stirling was playing, so it was clear that they were working on Castiel's short program. Sam stood by the edge of the rink and watched as Castiel swung past him, almost a blur of color and grace. He slowly knelt, a fluid movement, pretending to scoop something off the ice, before stretching his hands to the sky.

 

"Yes, that's it, Castiel!" Mary called. "Fluid, everything should be fluid, that was perfect. Now, start again from the second quad." She glanced over and saw Sam watching and shook her head. They hadn't quite managed to figure things out between themselves yet, but they were getting there. Would work their way there eventually.

 

Castiel slid to a stop and stretched his entire body, skating towards Mary with a nod, assuming a position beside her and waiting for the music cue.

 

Sam took another sip of his coffee and headed towards the basement. They had a peewee hockey game tonight that he had to get ready for. If he spent the entire morning watching Castiel and doing no work, Dean really was going to end up killing him. Sam shook his head and waved to his Mom, getting all of the equipment and locker rooms ready for later.

 

He also set up his table for Castiel and turned on the ice machine. Castiel had taken to the almost-daily treatment wonderfully, the last of the tension from the situation with his old coach starting to melt away from him. Sam grinned and then frowned when his phone started to ring. He glanced at the clock. Six in the morning? Who the fuck was calling him at six in the morning?

 

He pulled out his phone number and didn't recognize it, swiping it to answer. "Hello, this is Sam Winchester."

 

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the man who caught the little stray bird and gave him a home."

 

Sam froze, staring at the wall. "What did you say? Who are you?"

 

"You're going to regret helping him, Sam Winchester. You will regret it," the voice promised.

 

Sam's mind was racing and he turned and ran for the rink, keeping the phone up to his ear. "Who the fuck are you?!"

 

"You'll find out soon enough. You think that we're going to let Castiel have his comeback? You don't know anything at all."

 

The line disconnected just as he hit the wall of the rink. He looked at Mary and at Castiel, cataloguing both of them. They were safe, they were okay. "Call the police," he said to his mother. Mary turned and skated for her bag, pulling her phone out of it a moment later.

 

Sam pulled out his phone and dialed Dean's phone number. No response. "No, dammit Dean, wake the fuck up!"

 

"Sam?" Castiel asked, skating closer. Sam looked scared, for the first time since he'd ever met the man. "Sam, please, what's going on?"

 

"I'll tell you in a second, Cas, I promise," Sam said, hitting the dial button on the phone again. "Dean, come on, I swear to god if you are passed out drunk I am going to kill you!"

 

No answer again. _Fuck_! Sam swore and scrolled to another number in his phone, hitting it for Gabriel. To his relief, Castiel's brother picked up.

 

"What the fuck are you doing calling me at this ungodly hour?" Gabriel grumbled.

 

"I just received a threatening phone call. Telling me that I'm going to regret helping Cas. And that they weren't going to let Castiel have his comeback," Sam spit out the words and watched Castiel's eyes widen. "Gabriel, you need to make sure Dean and my father are safe, and Hannah, too. We need to get a full headcount on everyone that is close to either of you."

 

"I'm on it," Gabriel said, suddenly sounding much more awake than he had a few _seconds_ previous. "You get my brother and your mother back here, and you do it _now_. You call the cops and we get everyone back here. Now!" he snapped.

 

Sam closed his phone and sucked in a hard breath, opening his eyes to stare at Castiel. "We're going to be okay, Cas," he promised, looking at him. "Gabriel is going to find Dean, he's probably still sleeping, and then we're going to head home. I know that you need to make sure you are getting your workouts in, but we can do that from the privacy of our house, okay?"

 

Castiel nodded and went to go collect his things. Sam called Dean again, but there was no answer. He swore, dread settling into his stomach. He took a deep breath and headed for Mary, who was talking on the phone with Jody, discussing the call that he had just received. When his Mom handed the phone to him, he explained all of the details that he had, the nature of the threat, and that they were going to have a protection detail set on each of them.

 

Sam thanked her and nodded to both Mary and Cas. "We have to get out of here. Something is going to happen and we need to have all heads accounted for."

 

His phone buzzed again and Sam relaxed a fraction when he saw it was Gabriel. Dean had just been in his room, or something equally easy. There was no need to panic. He flipped it open and held the phone to his ear.

 

"Your brother is missing," Gabriel said. "Get home. _Now!_ "

 

Sam froze, staring straight ahead, the feeling of dread that had been present getting even more oppressive again. He swallowed hard and looked at Mary. "Dean's gone," he whispered.

 

Mary stared at him.

 

Sam repeated it, thinking that she hadn't heard him. "Dean's gone, Mom. We have to find him, we have to do something, we have to, we have to-"

 

"Sam," Castiel said, reaching out to squeeze his arm. "The best thing we can do for your brother right now is get you home and safe. They're trying to get to me. Maybe if they contact you again, we can figure something else out."

 

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you!" Sam snapped, glaring at Cas, wrapping his arms around his Mom, giving her a squeeze. "Mom, we're going to figure this out, I promise."

 

"Sam, take Castiel home," Mary ordered. "I'm going to call John. He'll come pick me up after you leave."

 

"I'm not leaving you here alone," Sam said, glaring at his mother as he pulled back from her.

 

Mary frowned at him. "And I am not going to leave John. Now, you need to get Castiel home, where we know he's going to be safe. I need to see what the extent of the damage is, because whatever they are planning, you know that it is not going to be small."

 

Sam swallowed hard and nodded, reaching out for Castiel's hand and squeezing it gently and tugging Castiel towards the door. "Come on. We've got to get you home, where it is safe."

 

Castiel looked between Sam and Mary and he nodded at her. "Mary, please, _please_ be safe."

 

Mary smiled and reached out to give Castiel a hug. "I'm going to be fine sweetheart. John isn't the only one who carries a gun. If anyone tries to mess with me, rest assured, they won't be walking away from it."

 

Sam wanted to laugh and give his mother a hug, but Castiel was his priority. He had to get Castiel to a safe place. Their house. He had to get Castiel home. That was the most important thing. He took a deep breath and stepped outside. It was silent. Even the one news van that had been in the parking lot was gone.

 

It was ominous. He headed for the car, keeping Castiel as close as he could, sliding into the front seat with Castiel next to him. Not that long afterward, it was clear that Castiel wasn't going to be able to sit still, fidgeting and squirming in the seat.

 

"Don't start thinking that Cas," Sam said as he accelerated down the highway. "None of this is your fault. All of the blame belongs with your dickwad of an ex. None of this is your responsibility."

 

"But what if something happens to your brother," Castiel asked, staring at Sam.

 

"Dean," Sam said, with a bit of a laugh. "Is the most resourceful guy I know. I have no doubt that if they did kidnap him, and they'd be fucking stupid to try, trust me, Dean'll be free in a matter of hours. I'm more concerned about what is going to happen to you."

 

Castiel tilted his head to the side and stared at Sam. "You are not worried about your brother?"

 

"Of course I am," Sam said, turning down the access road to their house. "But right now, I'm going to have to accept that I can't help him. The police are going to do that. You, on the other hand, I can help."

 

"You're in shock," Castiel said, reaching out to squeeze Sam's thigh.

 

"Yeah," Sam agreed, tightening his hands on the wheel. "Probably. But for right now, I know there is one thing true that I absolutely must do, and that is keep you safe. That's keeping me sane, so for right now, I'll take what I can get."

 

Castiel reached out and took Sam's hand, squeezing it again tightly. He could feel his phone ringing and pulled it out of his pocket, breathing when he saw it was Gabriel. "Gabriel?"

 

"Are you almost home?" Gabriel snapped, typing frantically on a computer. "We've got a shitstorm at our feet!"

 

"What's going on?" Castiel asked, glancing at Sam.

 

Gabriel took a deep breath and forced himself to focus, putting the worry for Dean and what could have happened to him as deep as it would go. "You'll see when you get here. Just, get here. Please, Cas, I need to know that you are safe."

 

"We're almost there," Castiel said, watching Sam wave to the two officers forming the barricade.

 

"Almost there," Castiel repeated, chewing his lip and staring at the house as it approached. It took Sam another minute, but then the car was parked and Castiel was flying out of the car, going for the front door. He heard Sam shout his name and then suddenly there was a crack in the air, a _gunshot_.

 

Castiel felt himself be thrown forward, slammed into the door, and then it was opened and yanked shut behind him.

 

"Castiel!" Gabriel shouted.

 

Sam was panting hard, holding onto his upper arm. " **Basement**. Get him into the damn basement, away from all of the windows and all of the doors. Now, get yourself, Hannah and Castiel down there, now!" he ordered, reaching up and onto the mantle besides the doorway, pulling down a shotgun, and another handgun that he tucked into the back of his pants.

 

"Sam, you're bleeding," Castiel said, his voice faint.

 

"Yeah, well, we're just lucky whoever fired that shot has piss-poor fucking aim. Now get downstairs, and open that door for no one. Safeword in this house is Poughkeepsie, and you do not open it unless someone says it, understand?"

 

Gabriel was pale and nodded, grabbing Castiel's arm and tugging him. "Come on, Cas, come on."

 

"Sam, what about you?" Castiel said, tugging at Gabriel's hold on his arm.

 

Sam grinned, a look that was low and feral. "Well, I'm going to see if I can find whoever just tried to shoot you." He held up the shotgun. "And repay them in kind if they try anything."

 

"You can't go out there alone," Gabriel added, staring at him.

 

"I'll go with him," Hannah said.

 

"You?" Gabriel snapped, glaring at her. "Hannah, you-"

 

"Did two tours in Iraq, as you well know, and are far more prepared for something like this than either of you," she said, her voice calm. "It was likely meant to be a warning shot, something to scare them. Murder would incite a media frenzy and full investigation. No one wants that. Do they want Castiel too scared to leave the house and perform? Yes."

 

Gabriel swallowed hard and nodded. "Be _safe_ ," he growled.

 

"We will," Sam promised, opening the door and glancing out quickly. He looked to Hannah and raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you armed?"

 

Hannah held out her hand to Sam. "I will be when you hand me the other gun stashed on the mantle."

 

"This is my Mom's," Sam said, pulling it down. "She's going to kill me for handing it off to you."

 

"And she would kill me if I let her youngest son be injured when I could have prevented it, now, I need you to give me the gun, Sam," Hannah said, taking it and checking the chamber, before nodding at him to move. "Let's go. Get Castiel to the basement, Gabriel. We'll be back soon."

 

"Treeline is thirty yards to the right of the porch," Sam said. "That's where the shot came from."

 

Hannah nodded. "Then thirty yards to the right of the porch is where we go. You lead, I'll cover."

 

Sam nodded as well and slipped out of the house. He looked at Gabriel as he closed the door. "Deadbolt it," he ordered, and shut it.

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

 

 

Gabriel did as Sam had ordered him and grabbed his laptop, yanking Castiel downstairs and into the finished basement, locking the door behind him. He took a deep breath and put a chair under the doorknob for good measure. He slumped against the wall and stared at his brother, immediately springing off the wall when he realized there were tears on his cheeks.

 

"Castiel? Castiel, are you all right? What's wrong? Talk to me, did you get hit by the bullet? Shit, I didn't even think to check, are you okay?"

 

Castiel shook his head and reached out to hug Gabriel, holding on as tight as he could. "I'm fine," he whispered, shaking his head. "I'm fine, I didn't get hit, but Sam did, Gabriel, Sam's hurt and what if-"

 

"Shush," Gabriel ordered, clearing his throat until it didn't shake. "We cannot think about that right now. Sam was fine, it just looked like a scratch. He might need a few stitches. I'm sure he's gotten worse roughhousing with Dean. Now, we have our own mess to deal with."

 

Castiel blinked and stared at the door for another long few minutes before he turned to Gabriel. "We have another mess to deal with besides the one that just happened, with Sam being threatened, being shot at, then-"

 

" _Yes_ ," Gabriel interrupted. "We have a much larger mess on our hands. Someone decided to risk the police lines. They got a picture of you."

 

Castiel frowned and stared at Gabriel. "Doing what? Sitting on the couch and sleeping?"

 

"This," Gabriel said, turning the laptop around. **_'CASTIEL REBOUNDING WITH SON OF HIS COACH - ANOTHER BAD RELATIONSHIP WAITING TO HAPPEN?'_**

 

Castiel sucked in a breath at the headline and covered his mouth. "Oh no," he whispered.

 

"They have _pictures_ , Cas. They have pictures of you and Sam sleeping at night, cuddled together. It's obvious on both of your faces. But the most damning picture is this one," Gabriel said, hitting a button that showed the two of them cuddled together on the couch, Castiel cradled against Sam's chest. "Why didn't you tell me the two of you were together, I could have gotten ahead of this, people would have been so happy for you, moving on to better things-"

 

"We're not in a relationship, Gabriel," Castiel interrupted, chewing on his lip as he stared at the picture, at the smile on his face. Sam was never going to forgive him for this. Not _ever_. He closed his eyes and handed the computer back to Gabriel before going and sitting down on one of the couches. "I, perhaps, had thought about asking Sam to, well, to see if we could manage something along the lines of dating. After Worlds. After, after all of this mess had died down."

 

"Castiel," Gabriel said, looking down at that picture. "I can't, you can't say that in response to these pictures. Not to the press. You and Sam are going to have to come out saying that you have been in a relationship."

 

"No!" Castiel snapped. "I'm not going to do that to him. I won't make him enter into something that he may not want."

 

Gabriel blinked in confusion. "May not want? Are we looking at the same pictures here, Cas? Look at that stupid and sappy fucking grin on his face. He wants you, six ways to Sunday, there is no doubt about it whatsoever. Just look at that expression on his face."

 

Castiel turned away from the computer before he could look at it again. He took a deep breath and dropped his face into his hands. Everything was going to fall apart now. He would never be able to have the kind of relationship that he had dreamed about having with Sam. It just wouldn't be possible. "Gabriel?"

 

"Yeah Cas," Gabriel asked, his voice quiet. "Are you all right?"

 

"I need you to call Mary and make sure she's all right. She needs to know where Sam is," Castiel said, sucking in another, painful breath.

 

Gabriel shook himself out of his worry for his brother and focused. "You're right. Good call baby brother," he said, whipping out his phone and dialing Mary. At least they had contingency plans for this sort of thing. He already knew what was going to be said in the next press release. They might need to edit it, especially if the shot was found to be a misfire of sorts, or positioned as some sort of hunting accident.

 

"Mary?" Gabriel snapped into the phone.

 

"Have good news for me Gabriel, I'm about to murder someone," Mary said, tightening her hand on her phone. "Someone tried to set fire to John's garage. He's just picked me up from the gym now," she said.

 

"I don't have it," Gabriel said, sucking in a deep breath. "Castiel was shot at," he glanced over at his brother and watched him flinch.

 

"He was what?!" Mary shouted. Her voice came again a second later. "John, stay on the damn road, I don't care if I'm shouting, Castiel was just shot at!"

 

A second noise of outrage came from the phone and Gabriel couldn't help but smile. He did admire Mary Winchester. "He's fine. Cas is fine. Sam protected him from the shot. Pretty sure Sam got a graze, but he's okay."

 

"Is Sam with you now?" Mary asked, pushing her fingers through her hair. "Please tell me Sam is with you."

 

Gabriel bit down on his lip and groaned. "No, he isn't. He decided to go after whoever tried to shoot us. He took Hannah with him, she's been in the army, so she can back him up."

 

Mary blew out a loud exhale. "Of course he fucking did. My idiot boys. They've called in the feds for this case, with the arson, kidnapping, and now this, we're going to have a truly epic mess on our hands Gabriel."

 

"It might get a little bit worse," Gabriel said.

 

"You've got to be kidding me," Mary grumbled.

 

"Pictures of Sam and Castiel cuddling together hit the tabloids together. They're covered with them, and the headlines aren't anything resembling nice or polite," Gabriel said.

 

"Right," Mary said, her voice matter of fact. "When it rains, it pours. We'll be home in a few minutes. This accelerates our plans Gabriel. Can you call your brothers and let them know?"

 

"Will do as soon as I'm off the phone with you," Gabriel said, tapping away at his computer, firing off several quick emails. "My cousin should be here in a matter of hours. He'll be leading the FBI investigation."

 

Mary nodded and braced her hand on the door as John took a hard turn. "Is there a conflict of interest risk?"

 

"Considering we're not actually related? No. We just grew up together, but I haven't spoken to him in years," Gabriel said, tapping away. An email alert made him focus. "Mary, Crowley is making a statement right now. About the photographs. I've got to go. I need to watch it and get started on damage control."

 

"Right. Where are you right now?" Mary asked.

 

"The basement. Barricaded in. Sam's orders."

 

"Smart boy," Mary praised. "I'll be there in a second. You know the word, right?"

 

Gabriel swallowed and nodded. "Yeah. Sam said it, just before he left. I know the word. We'll be waiting for you."

 

Castiel groaned and curled up into a tight ball on the couch. "All of this is my fault. All of it," he whispered, clenching his fingers into his hair. "If only I could have stayed with Crowley, they would be happy and safe, they would all be okay-"

 

"Hey!" Gabriel snapped, walking over to his brother and cupping his face in his hands. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Castiel's forehead. "None of that now. This is all by our own choice. Things that we wanted, and made the decisions for. You cannot take responsibility for our actions, nor are you going to try. You understand me?"

 

Castiel sucked in a deep breath and tried to nod. "But Gabriel, what if something happens to Sam?"

 

"Nothing is going to happen to Sam," Gabriel said, his voice quiet and soothing. "John raised Dean and Sam in these woods. I have no doubt that no one knows them better. Hell, maybe Sam'll lead back whoever tried to shoot you hogtied with a shotgun in the middle of his back."

 

Castiel chuckled, clenching his eyes shut. "That is a ridiculous idea, Gabriel."

 

"And yet not in the slightest bit inaccurate for our boys," Gabriel said, reaching down and giving his brother a squeeze. "Now, I've got to do my thing. You do me a favor and pour yourself one drink to help calm your nerves a little bit."

 

"Shouldn't I be offering the drink to you?" Castiel asked. "Your hands are shaking."

 

Gabriel looked down at his hands in surprise and frowned. "Well, will you look at that. Yeah, I guess they are shaking a little bit." He took a deep breath and sat down in front of the computer. "Dammit, I wish Hannah was here, there's a lot of shit to sift through."

 

"You can do it," Castiel said, walking over to the bar and picking out whiskey, something he knew that Gabriel would appreciate and poured him a small glass. His brother started typing frantically and Castiel stared down at the bottle. Mary would be home shortly, and they would figure things out. She would be safe. Now they just needed to find Dean.

 

Banging on the door startled them both and Castiel nearly dropped the bottle of booze, setting it down a moment later. He approached the door and cleared his throat, tilting his head to listen. It sounded like there was ragged breathing on the other side.

 

"For fuck's sake, Poughkeepsie, let me in!" Dean snapped. "I don't know how far behind me they are!"

 

Gabriel's eyes widened and he yanked the chair aside, pulling the door open before Castiel could say a word. Dean was there, covered in dirt and dust and leaves and Gabriel had never wanted him more than he did in that moment. He yanked Dean into the room and pinned him to the wall a moment later, reaching up to tangle his fingers in Dean's hair before yanking him down and into a kiss.

 

Dean made a protesting noise against his mouth, but only for a few seconds, before he melted and Gabriel took full advantage, kissing Dean as hard and as desperately as he could. If this was the only chance that he would ever get to touch Dean again, fuck if he wasn't going to make the most of it. When he finally pulled back, breathing hard, Dean was staring at him in surprise. Gabriel turned away before he could say anything and found Castiel replacing the door beneath the doorknob.

 

"Are you two finished? I'm sure you can have a proper reunion later," Castiel said, looking at them both. "Dean, what happened?"

 

"I'm never going to fucking live this down. I was on my way home, noticed someone following me. I decided to take a longer route through town and then back again. I lost them, didn't think anything off it. A more stubborn paparazzi or some shit," Dean said.

 

Gabriel huffed and picked up his laptop again, then his phone. "We're going to need to say that you've been found. We'll call off the federal investigation."

 

"Yeah, fuck no," Dean said, shaking his head. "I got away because they're fucking idiots, but I wasn't the only one they were planning to grab. I was the stupidest."

 

Gabriel eyed Dean and didn't hit the number on his phone for his brother. "What do you mean?"

 

Dean shrugged. "They drugged me, chloroform, and I was awake long before they thought I would be. I heard some shit. I don't know what they're planning, but it's all focused around discrediting my Mom and Cas, and making sure they don't compete."

 

"This is absurd!" Castiel shouted, standing up and stomping towards Dean and Gabriel. "This is figure skating! It is not life or death, it should never be! I should not have been shot at because I want to enter a figure skating competition!"

 

"Hey, hey, calm down Cas," Dean said, holding up his hands. "I couldn't agree with you more, but I think there's way more going on here than we want to know about. I'm betting it's all got to do with your old coach. He's got some unsavory ties, doesn't he?"

 

Castiel blinked and tilted his head to the side, staring at Gabriel. "Meaning what?"

 

"Organized crime and shit like that? I'd heard for a long time it was in his family," Dean said with a shrug when Gabriel and Castiel both looked at him in surprise. "Seriously, you two need to spend more time in seedier bars."

 

Dean brushed some of the leaves and twigs out of his hair. "Anyways. When they decided to go get food, or something else, I didn't hear that bit clearly, and all of them booked it out of there, except for two of them, I showed them I was way more awake than they were expecting."

 

"Did you run here?" Castiel asked, a little horrified. He handed over the glass of whiskey that he hadn't taken a sip of and watched as Dean downed it in one go.

 

"Yeah, took me a couple of hours, but it was safer than sticking to the road and potentially running into one of them," Dean said. He took a deep breath. "Now, what's this about you getting shot?"

 

Castiel looked at Gabriel, but Gabriel waved his hand, focused on his computer and the frantic typing that was happening. He took a deep breath. "Sam got a phone call that threatened me, and by extension, all of you. He had Mary call the police, and took me home. When we got here, we were almost in the house when Sam shouted my name."

 

"Fucking hell," Dean swore, looking towards the door. "Where the hell is Sam? And Hannah, for that matter?"

 

Castiel bit down on his lip. "Sam was shot, it was bleeding, but he appeared to be fine," he continued. "Mary is almost here, she has ordered me to stay right here."

 

Another knock on the door and everyone in the basement tensed until Mary's voice echoed through the sturdy wood. "Poughkeepsie!"

 

Castiel sagged, glad to know that Mary was safe at the least. It wasn't much, but the knowledge was comforting. Dean opened the door and gave his Mom a sheepish grin when she shouted his name and wrapped him in a hug. They shut the door behind Mary and barred it with the chair again.

 

He sank down onto the couch as Dean started explaining to his mother what had happened. He felt dizzy. Where was Sam? Why wasn't Sam back yet? Castiel focused on his breathing and accepted the cup that Mary pressed into his hands a few seconds later. He didn't question or ask what was in it, just took a sip and enjoyed the burn of alcohol as it went all of the way down his throat.

 

He couldn't have said how much longer it was before the police arrived. Sam still hadn't come home, and neither had Hannah. John had gone after both of them.

 

Castiel watched as Mary was chastised for allowing her husband to go after her son and Hannah and she had just smiled sweetly, asking the officer if she had often _'allowed'_ her husband to do anything. That made Castiel smile and he relaxed a bit more, knowing that Mary's spirit hadn't been dampened by what had happened.

 

Dean left with a handful of officers a few minutes later, to show them where he had been taken when he was kidnapped and to give his statement. Sam was still not home. Castiel stared at the doorway that was now shut, but wasn't barred anymore and wondered when he was going to see Sam walk through.

 

"He's going to be fine, Castiel," Mary said, sitting down next to Castiel. She hadn't seen him be this pale since she had first met him.

 

"How do you know that?" Castiel whispered. "Mary, if he gets hurt, I'm never going to forgive myself. He's already hurt, I saw him bleeding."

 

Mary chuckled and settled in next to Castiel. "If you think that boy would not take a bullet for you, you haven't been paying attention, Castiel."

 

Castiel huffed and sighed. "That is a pleasant thought when there are no actual bullets involved."

 

This time Mary laughed outright and Castiel gave a small smile. Heavy footsteps coming down the stairs to the basement made them both look up. Castiel was off the couch in a second.

 

"Sam!"

 

Sam caught Castiel, wrapping one arm carefully around him, squeezing tight. He buried his face in the top of Castiel's head and took a deep breath, the rest of the tension draining out of him. "I'm so glad you're all right."

 

Castiel tightened his fingers in Sam's shirt. "I might say the same about you. I didn't go tromping off and into the woods with a shotgun."

 

Sam laughed and pressed a kiss to the top of Castiel's head. "And a damn good thing too. I'd want to make sure you are a decent shot before handing you over a shotgun."

 

Hannah came in after Sam and went over to her boss with her computer, sitting in the seat next to Gabriel and reading over his shoulder. She gave a low whistle at the news headlines that were starting to spring up everywhere. "We have work to do."

 

"Yes," Gabriel said, focusing on the computer in front of him. "A lot more than I am comfortable with, but we do. I need someone to go up to the room, and grab me the entire case of redbull that is there. Hannah and I are going to need it."

 

"Planning to pull an all-nighter?" Dean teased, joining them in the room. His eyes went straight to Gabriel, and other than for a brief second, Gabriel didn't look at him at all. "How's everyone doing?"

 

"Now?" Mary asked, looking around the room, relaxing at the sight of all of her kids, safe and sound. "I think we need to regroup and figure out what happened. Dean, did you find the place you had been taken?"

 

"Yeah, if finding means finding what used to be a house, and was instead a complete bonfire?" Dean said, stretching. "No evidence of any kind there. Police and feds have some tire tracks that they can try to use, but there was nothing else there."

 

Mary nodded and looked down at her phone as it started ringing. "Excuse me, I need to take this. Dean, could you please call for dinner? None of us are in any condition to be cooking tonight."

 

"No problem, Mom," Dean called, watching as she headed up the stairs.

 

~!~

 

"One moment please," Mary said, keeping her voice pleasant as she moved through the house and the officers still lingering.

 

"Of course, of course, take your time."

 

Mary went into her bedroom and checked it for any police before shutting and locking the door behind her, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "You aren't going to get away with this."

 

"No?" The voice asked. "I believe that I already have."

 

Mary smiled and lowered her head. "Being in a relationship isn't a crime," she added, looking over to the window. "Neither is wanting to be safe when one is practicing."

 

"My dear Mary, we both know that Castiel is going to be in no condition to skate after this. Nearly being shot at? His boyfriend, whether that is true or not, shot? Bleeding for him?" A pause and a rustle on the other line. "If you force him to go to Worlds, he is going to fail."

 

"Life isn't only about failures and successes," Mary said, closing her eyes. "He is stronger than you think he is. You kept him isolated for years, to keep him weak. He's _strong_."

 

A chuckle then, a low, dark one. "I did what I had to do to make him into a successful skater."

 

"Does that include hitting on him when he was sixteen?" Mary snapped, glaring at the phone.

 

"Well, well, looks like little Cassie has been telling stories again. Good thing no one would believe him after this. He'll fall apart and into nothingness."

 

Mary glared at the phone, but took a measured and slow breath. "I don't get your game, Crowley. You've picked up another skater, one who is very skilled, even. You could win with him, if you focused on coaching him properly. Why come after Castiel?"

 

"You expect me to tell you all of my secrets? Come now, Mary, it's almost like you don't know me at all."

 

"I know far more of you than I ever wanted to, and that is a fact," Mary growled, tightening her hand on the phone. "But know this, Crowley. If anyone comes near Castiel, or Sam, or my family, again? We will shoot first and ask questions later."

 

"Are you threatening me now?"

 

Mary smiled blandly into the phone. "Of course not. I don't bother with threats, unlike you. I am merely stating that after our scare today, we will be using, to the fullest possible extent, our conceal and carry permits. We may also have a police escort wherever we go."

 

Crowley laughed. "And yet, you are all so dependent on little Castiel. Who is going to completely and utterly fall to pieces after this."

 

"You don't know him at all," Mary snapped, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

 

"Words is in three weeks, do you really think that he is going to have recovered?"

 

Mary smirked. "I think he is not only going to be recovered, Crowley, I think he is going to _win_."

 

Crowley laughed. "My dear Mary Winchester, you have so much faith in him. I'm afraid it's been sorely misplaced."

 

"And you are wrong about that, my dear Crowley," Mary sneered, hanging up the phone a moment later. She exhaled hard and dropped her face into her hand. Talking with Crowley always left her exhausted.

 

She shot a text to Gabriel, asking him to come upstairs, flagging it as urgent. A few minutes later, the other man was in front of her. "He called again."

 

Gabriel narrowed his eyes and sat down beside her. "Tell me everything."

 

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

 

 

Sam almost didn't notice that they had been left alone in the room. Castiel was fading fast, his eyes glassy and pale. He smiled and made himself comfortable on the couch. "Come here, Cas," he ordered, stretching out and kicking off his shoes.

 

Castiel hesitated, chewing on his lip. "This is one of the photos the tabloids captured," he whispered.

 

"So?" Sam said, shrugging a little. "That means we can do it and not give two shits about anyone noticing at all. Come on. You look dead on your feet, and you'll sleep better curled up on me, and you know it."

 

Castiel snorted and rolled his eyes, climbing on top of Sam before settling against his chest with a small sigh. "You seem remarkably unperturbed by the idea of the two of us in a relationship."

 

Sam hummed and reached down to comb his fingers through Castiel's hair. "Maybe that's because I am completely unperturbed by it?" he offered a moment later, shifting to press a kiss to his hair. "I'm attracted to you, I think you've known that since the beginning."

 

"Yes," Castiel agreed. "However, finding me attractive and wanting to be in a relationship with me are two completely different things."

 

"Yes, they are," Sam said, closing his eyes and settling back on the couch. "But Gabriel is right. We're going to have to announce that we are in a relationship, or at the very least, dating."

 

Castiel frowned against Sam's shirt. "I do not wish for you to pretend to be in a relationship with me," he said, biting down on his lower lip hard. It was the last thing in the world that he wanted, when the thing he wanted most was for Sam to be in an actual relationship with him.

 

Sam chuckled and rubbed up and down Castiel's back slowly. "This is not what I wanted for us either. I was working up the courage to ask you out to dinner one of these weeks. After Worlds, maybe."

 

Castiel sat up in surprise and stared at Sam. "You were?"

 

Sam blinked at Castiel's stunned expression and leaned down to press a kiss to his nose. "Yes, I definitely was. Now, rest. We can talk more about this later," he said.

 

Castiel smiled and curled into Sam's chest a little bit easier. He took a deep breath and relaxed, trying to focus on the steady heartbeat underneath his ear. "Yes, I suppose we can."

 

"Hey," Sam added, his hand moving in slow circles on Castiel's back. "We'll get this figured out, but please don't think, for a single second, that any of us regret being here with you, okay?"

 

Castiel sucked in a breath and clenched his eyes shut, nodding a little against Sam's chest. "All right."

 

"I know," Sam said, giving Castiel a small squeeze. "We need to work on that a little bit and that's more than okay. I'm fine working on that with you. But please, don't feel guilty."

 

Castiel nodded again and forced himself to relax, muscle by muscle until he was asleep.

 

~!~

 

When Mary came back downstairs and found Castiel curled together with Sam, both of them fast asleep, she took a moment to admire them. Sam was far better for Castiel than maybe even _he_ realized. She smiled and turned to look over her shoulder at Dean, who was walking down the stairs with pizzas. "You are my favorite for a reason," she said, taking the top three from him.

 

"I heard that," Sam grumbled from the couch, opening an eye. "I'll have to work on getting favorite status back tomorrow, I am seriously too tired to do it today."

 

"That's what you get for tromping around in the woods after someone who decided to try and shoot you," Mary said primly, walking over to the bar counter and putting the pizza boxes there. "Let Castiel know I ordered him a Meat Lovers. That should perk him right up."

 

Castiel sat up a little and grinned. "You did?"

 

Mary laughed and nodded, pushing the box towards him. "Of course I did. You think I don't know my boys?" She looked over Castiel's shoulder at Hannah and Gabriel. "Hannah, there's two veggie pizzas for you and Sam to share, Gabriel, there's a second meat lovers for you, and Dean, your sausage and pepperoni is there."

 

Gabriel groaned and tore himself away from the computer. "Mary, have I told you I love you lately?"

 

"Not since yesterday afternoon and today I am determined to earn it," she said, winking at him as she opened her own.

 

John came down a moment later, carrying drinks for them all, passing the water bottles and beer around.

 

Castiel took one of the bottles of water and chugged more than half of it down before grabbing his first slice of pizza.

 

Everyone ate in silence for a few minutes, before Cas glanced around the room and spoke up. "So what do we do now?"

 

Mary hummed and swallowed. "We keep doing exactly what we have been doing, we just want to be a little bit more cautious about it," she said, nodding to the bandage on Sam's upper arm. "But this is meant to disrupt you, Castiel. All of it. It's the worst kind of diversion tactics I've ever seen."

 

"It's working a little," Sam muttered, taking another large bite.

 

"And that's the problem," Mary said, smiling at her youngest son. "We don't want them to work. We want Castiel to keep working on his routines, because they are amazing. We want him to go to Worlds and if not win, then place and show everyone that he is above this."

 

Castiel frowned and looked down at the table. "Is it safe?"

 

Mary shrugged. "We are going to make it as safe as we possibly can," she said, sipping her beer. "But hiding here until Worlds is not the solution, Castiel. We must face the world, exactly as we are, and show them we are not afraid."

 

Dean swallowed down another bite of pizza and stared at his Mom. "Show of hands here, who has a conceal and carry permit?"

 

Hannah chuckled when all of the Winchesters (who had of course, raised their hands) looked at her in surprise when she raised hers. "I was in the military for several years. I have a conceal and carry permit valid in all fifty states."

 

"Well that's handy," Dean said, giving Hannah a wink. "You're on protecting Gabriel duty."

 

"Hey!" Gabriel protested, his mouth half-full of pizza. "I don't need protector duty! Focus that on Castiel."

 

Mary raised an eyebrow at Gabriel. "Gabriel, what happens if you disappear?"

 

Gabriel blinked and stared at her, not understanding what she was referencing. "What do you mean?"

 

John picked up where his wife had left off. "Gabriel, if you disappear, there is no one besides Hannah to manage Castiel's public relations image. Right now, you are barely managing the work between the two of you, if you suddenly disappear..."

 

Gabriel winced and glanced over at Hannah. "Then protector duty it is."

 

Hannah smiled at her boss. "I'll make sure you stay safe Gabriel."

 

Dean fought down a grin and then scowled as he realized something. "We're going to have to cancel all events at the rink. There's no way we can manage them all and keep everyone safe."

 

Sam nodded. "Good call. I'll talk to the others, let them know that we're closing the rink for the next few weeks to make it private for Castiel. Paid leave. And that maybe they should leave town for a little while."

 

"Yeah," Dean agreed, pushing his hands through his hair. "We'll need to clear the rink each morning. I'll come in with you and do that. Shouldn't take too long, there's not a hidey hole we don't know about in that place."

 

Castiel bit down on his lip as he listened to them all make plans, shutting down large portions of their lives, all for him. "I'll pay you for the trouble."

 

Dean and Sam turned to Castiel as one. "Huh?"

 

"For the events you are canceling," Castiel said, taking another sip of his water, and another bite of pizza. "I'll pay you for them. The rink time, your staff, whatever the cost would be."

 

"Castiel, we can't ask you to-"

 

"I am not going to ask you to lose the business that you are going to because of me," Castiel said, glaring at Sam. "I agree with people not attending to be kept safe, but if you believe for a single second that I am not going to pay you for your time, you are sadly mistaken."

 

Dean laughed as Castiel and Sam had a battle of wills for a few minutes until Castiel clearly won when Sam wilted and nodded in agreement. "If he's anything like Gabriel, he's got more money than God anyways, so don't even worry about it Sammy."

 

Sam snorted and rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm going to worry about it. That isn't cheap."

 

"Dean is right," Castiel said, smiling a little at having won the argument. "I am not without resources and will make sure that all of your time, no matter when it is, is paid for."

 

Mary smiled at Sam and Castiel, bumping her shoulder into John's for a moment as she finished off another slice of pizza. "That leaves us with one important matter to discuss."

 

Castiel tensed and gave a hard swallow, staring down at the pizza. "I don't...do we have to?"

 

"Yes," Mary said, glancing over at Sam.

 

Sam reached out and wrapped an arm around Castiel's waist and gave him a slow squeeze. "We'll do whatever we need to do. And hell if I am letting Castiel out of my sight after everything that has happened this past week."

 

Mary smiled, pleased. "Castiel, is that all right with you?"

 

"I wish it had not been under these circumstances, but yes, that is more than fine with me," Castiel said, looking up with Sam, giving him a shy smile.

 

"Excellent!" Gabriel said. "Then Cas, I've already got your statement ready, you'll need to read it over tonight, we have a press conference tomorrow at noon to address everything that happened today, and hey, the fact that you're dating again."

 

All attention in the room spun to Gabriel and he shrugged. "That's honestly the single best way to position it. There's no crime in Castiel being in a relationship, and Crowley put out this statement about how he wants nothing more than for Castiel to be happy, but he can't help wondering at the timing and if Sam is trying to get his five minutes of fame."

 

Sam sat up, immediately indignant. "I couldn't give a shit about fame! In fact, can I say hello no to wanting _any_?"

 

Gabriel laughed and grinned at Sam. "Don't worry, I figured you'd say something like that, which is exactly what we need. Now you just to say exactly that in front of the press tomorrow after Castiel gets a chance to speak."

 

Castiel nodded and cleared his throat. "Gabriel, what are we going to say about the threatening phone call and Dean's kidnapping."

 

"Absolutely nothing," Gabriel said, looking at Castiel. "We're going to acknowledge that an investigation is going on, but that your focus is on one thing, and one thing only. _Worlds_. And maybe a side of Sam." Everyone chuckled again and he smirked.

 

"You are going to go up there," Gabriel said, staring his younger brother down. "With your head held high, a smile, if you can manage it, on your face, and Sam's hand in yours. That will send a far louder message than anything that has happened in the previous twenty-four hours."

 

Sam whistled. "Dang, I can see there's a reason that Cas pays you so well."

 

Gabriel laughed and rolled his eyes. "There's a reason that before I started working for him, I was the highest paid Public Relations manager in New York City."

 

Dean winked at Gabriel. "Earning your keep, I like it. Hell, maybe you'll get your own bedroom tonight."

 

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Gabriel said airily, waving his hand and taking a huge bite of his pizza to avoid answering any of the questions that he knew were about to come up. Better that way.

 

Sam burst out laughing at the stunned look on Dean's face. About time they got their shit sorted out! Fucking took them long enough! He was startled, but gave a wide grin when Castiel's hand slipped into his and gave a slow squeeze. Yeah, good to get practice in, so this didn't look forced. He squeezed Castiel back a moment later and focused on his Dad as John started telling a story about the time he had "accidentally" left the boys in the woods to find their way back.

 

Castiel sat back and watched all of the Winchesters interact together for a few minutes longer, eating his last slice of pizza. Gabriel fit in so very well here. Maybe there was even a small spot for him to carve into this tight-knit family. Sam squeezed his hand and Castiel took a deep breath.

 

Later that night, as they made their way up to bed, Castiel had to wonder if it was going to be all right like this, making up the fact that they were in a relationship, even though they almost, kinda sorta were. It was a twisted series of circumstances.

 

"Cas?" Sam called, reaching out to wrap an arm around Cas' shoulders. "You okay?"

 

Castiel took a deep breath and forced himself to focus on Sam and leaned into the comforting arm that was being wrapped around him. "Would it be better if I was truthful and said no?"

 

"Yes," Sam said, reaching out to comb his fingers through Castiel's hair. "It would be better that way, but I just want you to know, I mean, you don't have to do anything that you don't want to do."

 

Castiel looked down at his hands in front of him and sighed. "I wanted to curl up with you and I wanted to sleep in the same bed with you. Those wants have led us to the situation we are in now, which I cannot entirely regret, or be excited about," he said with a shrug. "But I feel you are being coerced into a relationship for my benefit and that is not fair to you."

 

Sam hummed and leaned closer to press his lips to Castiel's temple. "You aren't coercing me into anything. Believe me, asking me to do anything is normally like pulling teeth. I am doing precisely what I want to. Just, not the way I would have gone about it."

 

Castiel nodded a little and leaned back into Sam. "Is, are you sure about this, Sam? You are going to face a great deal of public censure. If I could spare you that, I absolutely would."

 

Sam smiled and kissed Castiel's hair again. "Don't you worry about me, there's nothing they can do to me that I'm not ready for."

 

"I can't possibly-" Castiel prevented himself for going on further and supplying the rest of the words. He took a deep breath and shook his head. No, it wasn't worth thinking. It absolutely was not worth thinking about. He took another deep breath and shook his head. "I'm sorry Sam, please forgive me."

 

"For what?" Sam asked, turning so he was standing in front of Castiel.

 

"I haven't," Castiel said and swallowed. "You are being wonderful about this, and perhaps we would have ended up in a relationship regardless-"

 

Sam shrugged. "I would have asked you out for drinks before I did anything else if I'm being honest."

 

Castiel gave him an appreciative smile before sobering again. "I just do not think that you understand. We will have to maintain this facade. For a longer period of time than you are likely anticipating."

 

"Okay," Sam said, nodding at Castiel. "I can manage that, it isn't the end of the world."

 

"But-"

 

"Cas," Sam interrupted, his voice quiet. "Please understand. I like you. I am attracted to you. And I was very much trying and failing to keep my hands off of you the past few weeks."

 

Castiel blinked in confusion. "You have kept your hands off of me?"

 

Sam bit down on his lip and gave a helpless shrug. "Sure, in a purely sexual sense, but snuggling together? Curling up on the couch so that you can sleep on my chest for hours at a time? Do you consider that platonic and something that friends do?"

 

"I haven't had friends, I wouldn't know," Castiel admitted, looking up at Sam.

 

Sam sighed and leaned down to press a kiss to Castiel's forehead. "I don't want to take advantage of you."

 

Castiel snorted. "One might say that I am taking advantage of you considering our situation. I am far more likely to be accused of that."

 

"Cas, but," Sam sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at Castiel. "What do you want? Do you even, are you even interested in me? In anyone?"

 

Castiel blinked and tilted his head to the side. "I hadn't considered that, at all," he admitted, taking another deep breath and staring at Sam. What was he supposed to do?

 

Sam smiled again and kissed Castiel's nose. "I hadn't thought you would. So here's the thing. I am going to leave it entirely up to you. Whatever you want to do, whatever you think might convince people to believe that we are in a relationship."

 

"All right," Castiel agreed, wondering if there was a 'but' that would be attached to that statement. "And then?"

 

"Then, when you figure out what you want to do," Sam said, grinning down at Castiel. "You tell me and I am going to be all in, no matter what it is. You could tell me that you are completely uninterested and I will understand."

 

Castiel frowned. "But that isn't what you want."

 

"You're right," Sam agreed smiling at Castiel. "It isn't. However, your choice is the single most important thing to me. If you don't want to be with me, yeah, I'll be disappointed, but that's okay."

 

Castiel blinked and tilted his head at Sam, judging his sincerity. He had never met anyone who was so willing to let him make the choices, no matter what they were. He took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll try to decide quickly, Sam."

 

Sam shook his head. "Take your time. If you want to test some physical boundaries-"

 

Castiel tensed and shook his head, _hard_.

 

"Easy, easy," Sam whispered, wrapping his arms around Castiel, holding him close. "I'm not talking about anything without clothes. But a kiss or two here and there, might be a good thing to try."

 

" _Oh_ ," Castiel said, immediately relaxing and leaning into Sam's arms. He closed his eyes. "That is acceptable."

 

"Good," Sam said, kissing the top of Castiel's head. "This kinda stuff still okay? Me holding on to you?"

 

Castiel nodded and cuddled into Sam's chest a little bit. "I never did this sort of thing with him, Sam."

 

Sam hugged Castiel tighter. "Unfortunately, I am able to see how and why, but at the same time, that is not how I would want to have a relationship between us be."

 

Castiel smiled. "You are so very good Sam Winchester."

 

Sam laughed and pulled away from Castiel and turned down the covers of the bed. "I won't disagree with you there. Alarm set?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Okay, good. We're going to leave the window covered for tonight, since it seems someone with a telephoto lens was trying to take advantage," Sam said, gesturing to the window as he crawled into bed and held the covers open for Castiel. "But if you think that we aren't going to be cuddling, you are sadly mistaken."

 

Castiel crawled into bed a minute later and only hesitated for a second before cuddling against Sam. He took a deep breath and wrapped an arm around Sam's waist.

 

Sam smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of Castiel's head. "Stop acting like I'm going to draw and quarter you if you cuddle up. You've been grinding up against me in the morning, this is-" he shut himself up a moment later when he realized what he said.

 

"I've been what?!" Castiel asked, trying to yank himself back and away from Sam. "Oh god, Sam, I'm so sorry, fuck, why didn't you tell me, we shouldn't be sleeping in the same bed, I can't believe I did that to you-"

 

"Cas," Sam interrupted, pressing a finger to Castiel's lips. Big, bright blue eyes looked at him and he smiled, leaning in to kiss Cas' nose. "Listen to me for a second, okay? Yes, I didn't mean to say that. However, I don't regret saying it for a single second."

 

"I-" Castiel huffed in annoyance, glaring at Sam's finger and then looking up at Sam again. "'m sorry."

 

Sam smiled and leaned in, stealing a quick and slow kiss from Castiel. His lips were chapped, and slightly parted in surprise. Sam savored the touch and pressed in a little bit more before he pulled back, waiting for Castiel to look at him again. "Don't apologize. Just, now I don't need to worry quite as much that you feel how much I like it, okay?"

 

Castiel blinked and stared at Sam. He tilted his head to the side. "You haven't minded?"

 

"I think I would have told you the first night it happened, if I actually minded," Sam said, a grin starting.

 

"First night?" Castiel snapped, his eyes widening. "How many nights has this happened?!"

 

"Shhhh!" Sam said, chuckling and curling Castiel closer. "Just the past three nights, don't worry. Hey, hey, Cas, look at me."

 

Castiel groaned and buried his face in Sam's chest. "No. _No_. I would like to now die. I am so sorry, Sam."

 

"I'm not," Sam said, chuckling and rubbing at Castiel's neck. "I think if you do it again, I might wake you up with a kiss, so it's a hell of a winning situation for me."

 

Castiel harrumphed and snuggled into Sam's chest. "You're being too nice to me again."

 

"And you're being too harsh on yourself. You're attracted to me, I'm attracted to you, we're announcing to the world that we're dating tomorrow. I'd be a little sad if you weren't physically attracted to me," Sam teased, leaning in for another kiss to Castiel's head.

 

"Only a little?" Castiel asked, raising an eyebrow, pulling back to look at Sam.

 

Sam nodded and leaned in to kiss Castiel again, keeping it gentle and soft. "Yes, only a little. It's you I want to date, and while yes, I am sexually attracted to you, it's _you_ I want."

 

Castiel blinked and tilted his head, staring at Sam. "You've dated some interesting people, Sam Winchester."

 

Sam grinned and cuddled Castiel a little closer. "I have. I'll have to introduce you to Richard to one of these days. Well, if they're still going by Richard. I'll have to ask."

 

Castiel smiled and pressed a kiss to Sam's heart, relaxing. "You are truly extraordinary."

 

Sam inhaled the scent of Castiel's hair and closed his eyes, relaxing. "I think the same of you, fighting and doing what you have these past few weeks. You are incredible, extraordinary, and I can't wait for the rest of the world to see it too."

 

Castiel grinned and relaxed properly, yawning. "Now we need to go to sleep or Mary will be angry with us."

 

"Yeah, and I'd like to keep my Mom on my good side. She's scary when she's mad," Sam quipped.

 

Castiel laughed and shook his head. "I'll be nice and not tell her you said that."

 

Sam snickered. "I'd tell her that to her face. She'd be flattered. Oh, which reminds me, don't forget to let me leave without my guns tomorrow, okay? I gotta go get them from the safe."

 

Castiel sobered up and nodded. "Of course, Sam."

 

"It'll be okay, Cas. I promise," Sam said, kissing Castiel's hair. "Now sleep, I'll keep you safe until morning."

 

Castiel chuckled. "I hope beyond on the morning."

 

"I don't know," Sam said, yawning a little as he settled into his pillow better. "Depends on how good my wake up kiss is."

 

Castiel smiled again and fell asleep comfortable and safe.

 

 

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

 

 

Sam groaned and opened an eye to stare at the alarm clock that was blaring on the dresser, ordering them up and awake. Fucking early ass mornings. He yawned and looked down at the lump of Castiel as he smacked the alarm clock into the off position.

 

Castiel hummed and gave another slow rock against his thigh and Sam wanted to laugh. He could wake Castiel up. But they had a few minutes, and his Mom knew that they were going to figure things out between themselves...

 

"Cas," Sam whispered, leaning down and nuzzling into the bed head beneath his chin. Castiel just gave a grumpy noise and snuggled into him with more determination. Sam smiled and tensed up his thigh, giving Castiel something better to rock against.

 

Castiel gasped against his chest and his thrusts turned more purposeful, slow, steady rolls and damn if Sam didn't want to flip him over and pin him to the bed so they could both rock against each other until they were a mess. Sam swallowed and squeezed Castiel a little closer. "Castiel, you need to wake up," he said, letting his voice go a little louder.

 

Castiel made another grumbling noise and Sam smiled when he pulled back far enough to glare at him. Sam couldn’t resist leaning in for a quick kiss.

 

“You’re going to want to give yourself a second to get coherent there, Cas," Sam said, waiting for Castiel to realize exactly what he was doing and what was going on.

 

He saw the second Castiel realized it, his eyes flying open and his whole body bucking, attempting to pull away from him. Sam kept Cas exactly where he was, one arm around his waist, holding him tight. "Oh no you don't, hold on, breathe and stop panicking for a second."

 

Castiel groaned and lifted up a hand to cover his face. "I'm so sorry Sam."

 

"I'm not," Sam said, shifting a little bit. When Castiel still refused to look at him, Sam flipped Castiel on his back and slid his thigh between Castiel's, making him gasp and buck his hips up. Sam rocked his hips down in response and let his erection slide along Castiel's thigh. The other man tensed beneath him.

 

"Look," Sam said, leaning down and pressing their foreheads together. "I'm not going to push, at all. If you want me off and taking a shower, I'll go there in about two seconds. I just want you to know that you're not alone in the whole thing. I am very, _very_ attracted to you, Cas. And when you're ready for anything more physically, I'm right there with you, okay?"

 

Castiel swallowed hard and closed his eyes, chewing on his lip. "What, what do you want?"

 

Sam kissed Castiel, soft and gentle before pulling back to look at him. "I want you to be comfortable. I want you to want whatever is going on and I want you to tell me no if that's what you want."

 

Castiel stared up at him. "I'd like to shower, maybe?"

 

Sam smiled and stole another quick kiss before rolling off of Cas and standing up beside the bed, his sleeping pants still tented obscenely. "You use the shower here, and I'll go use Gabriel's, since he hasn't bothered going to bed yet. Meet you back here?"

 

"Are you," Castiel swallowed, letting his eyes drift down before he pulled them back up to Sam's face. "Nevermind, I don't require an answer to that question."

 

Sam chuckled and leaned down and over the bed, pressing a kiss to Castiel's cheek, trailing them to his ear. "If your question was, am I going to take care of myself in the shower? The answer is very much _yes_."

 

Castiel flushed and stared at Sam, grinning for a quick second as Sam grabbed some clean clothes, bending over far more than was necessary. "I do not require you being tempting!"

 

Sam laughed and winked at Castiel. "I couldn't resist. I'm sorry. I'll behave. Or try."

 

Castiel snorted and watched as Sam snuck out of their room and down the hallway. He flopped back down on the bed for a moment and glared down at his erection. "You are inconvenient and frustrating."

 

He forced himself to climb out of bed and into the shower. Castiel bit his lip and allowed himself to fantasize, just a little about Sam, and how good and safe he had felt, even with Sam looming over him.

 

~!~

 

"Took you two long enough," Mary teased over her coffee mug, staring at the toy boys as they made their way downstairs. Looked like they had both showered. She raised an eyebrow. "Sam, I don't need to remind you that Castiel should be limiting his strenuous exercise-"

 

"Mom!" Sam snapped, blushing darkly, walking over to the coffee maker.

 

Castiel bit his lip, wondering if Mary was truly concerned. However, she did nothing but give him a wink and gestured towards the coffee. He took the mug that Sam offered him and sipped it slowly. "Do we need to speak with Gabriel before we leave?"

 

"Since he hasn't slept? Yes," Mary said, glancing down towards the basement door. "He's been doing damage control and he's had far more Red Bull than I'm comfortable with, but he's already starting to turn the story, especially the piece about Sam, in your favor."

 

"And everything else?" Castiel asked, glancing over at Sam, at the outline of the bandage that he could barely see. It hadn't seemed to give Sam any issues this morning. He flushed again and bit down on his lip.

 

"Everything else is still under official FBI investigation," Mary said, smiling and winking at Castiel. "Come on. Let's go see what else he has for us."

 

Castiel nodded and followed Mary into the basement. Gabriel was almost exactly where he had been left the night before, except now it looked like there was a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He tilted his head and cleared his throat. "Gabriel?"

 

Gabriel blinked and looked away from the computer, lifting his hands from the keyboard before stretching and checking his phone. "Only fifteen missed calls, that's an improvement on the last twenty-four hours," he said with a yawn.

 

Castiel winced and walked closer to his brother. "Do you have the statement I need to make at the conference today?"

 

"Yup," Gabriel said, reaching out for a piece of paper on his desk. "Here's the printed version. Sam can add on whatever he wants as soon as you're done, but he needs to focus on the piece about it not being for the fame," he yawned again. "You need," he shook his head and then his shoulders. "You need to do this outside the rink, that'll be the only place that they can all be gathered at once. You okay with that?"

 

Mary smiled and nodded. "That'll be fine, Gabriel. Sam and I will be on either side of him, keeping him safe."

 

Castiel nodded and stared at Gabriel. "Is there anything else that I need to know, Gabriel?"

 

Gabriel hummed and turned to Cas. "Don't answer any questions on the investigation. The speech includes a statement that says you can't speak to it, so don't try." He pointed to Sam. "Any relationship questions, I want you answering, and keep the focus on the fact that Castiel is training for Worlds."

 

"Got it," Sam said with a grin, wrapping an arm around Castiel's waist and giving him a squeeze.

 

"By the way, you've got FBI crawling the entire house and the woods all around here, so keep your itchy trigger fingers to yourselves for the time being, okay?"

 

Sam laughed and winked at his Mom. "Got it. I am wearing my holster, but I don't expect to need it."

 

Castiel blinked and turned to look at Sam, glancing up and down him for a moment. "You're wearing a holster?"

 

Sam turned and lifted the back of his shirt, showing where the holster fit seamlessly into his lower back. "Conceal and carry, Cas. I don't want anyone to know I'm wearing a gun."

 

Castiel nodded and swallowed hard, turning back to Gabriel. "You will call if you need anything?"

 

"Of course. Go focus on figure skating baby bro. I've got my hands full here."

 

Sam smiled and led Castiel back up to the front door and out to the car, his eyes peeled. He did see two of the FBI agents that Gabriel mentioned, nodding quickly to them as they climbed into the car.

 

Castiel sighed and settled back into the seat and took a deep breath. "I wish this were not happening."

 

Sam glanced in the rearview as his Mom kicked the car into gear. "All of it?"

 

Castiel met Sam's eyes a moment later and smiled. "No, not all of it. Just the portion with the kidnapping and gunshots."

 

Sam laughed. "Yeah, I think we could all do without that."

 

Castiel nodded and took a deep breath as Mary pulled out of the driveway. He could already see the large collection of news vans waiting at the end of the road. "Here we go again," he whispered.

 

"Hey," Sam said, reaching back and squeezing Castiel's knee again. "You might be going through this again, but you certainly aren't doing it alone. We're right here with you and we're going to be with you the entire way. Got it?"

 

Castiel smiled at Sam. "Thank you."

 

"Yeah, of course," Sam said, settling back into his seat. "So don't go thinking you're dealing with this alone. We've got your back, all of us."

 

"I know you do, Sam," Castiel said, looking down at his hands. He winced when shouting immediately started and there were hands banging against the windows as a path was cleared for them through the paparazzi. It took several minutes, but then they were on the way to the rink.

 

The rink was worse, almost the entire parking lot covered in news vans. Sam turned to look at Castiel and Mary. "You stay here while I clear the rink. Should take me about five or six minutes."

 

Castiel nodded, his heart in his throat as Sam slipped out and unlocked the front door and closed it behind him. He stared at the clock, counting down each of the minutes. He flinched when Mary turned on the radio.

 

"Hey, don't give me that glower," Mary said, glancing in the mirror at Castiel. "I just want something to keep my mind occupied so I'm not clock watching like you are."

 

"What if something happens to him?"

 

"He'll give them hell," Mary said, turning to look at Castiel. "I know my boy, Cas. Trust him. He'll be okay, I promise."

 

Castiel nodded and relaxed, his entire body sagging when Sam came back out the front door with a wide grin on his face.

 

"Ready?" Mary asked.

 

Castiel nodded and straightened his back and his shoulders. "Yes, I am."

 

"Good. Then let's get this done. Tell them all you'll have a statement for them at noon, but in the meantime you need to practice."

 

Castiel grinned at Mary and then he realized Sam was at the door of the car, opening it for him. He reached out and took Sam's hand easily, giving it a slow squeeze as he slid out of the car, standing tall and grinning at the flashes and shouting that happened.

 

Sam led him to the doorway, each of them refusing any of the comments thrown their way. Castiel stopped just before he walked through the door and turned to look at the crowd.

 

"I will be issuing a statement at noon, but will not be taking any questions on the on-going federal investigation. Sam will take a handful of questions on the nature of our relationship," Castiel said and slipped inside as the shouts got even louder. He sagged back against the door and sighed.

 

"Good job," Sam said, wrapping his arms around Castiel, giving him a hug. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the messy hair. "Get going, I'm sure my Mom has plans for you. I'm going to see if I can get some paperwork done, since someone decided to pay all of my bills for the next month or so."

 

Castiel smiled and nodded at Sam, heading towards the rink after Mary. "What are we going to be working on today?"

 

"Nothing," Mary said, smiling as she tied her skates. "Today we're just going to skate and screw around. I'm going to tell you a few stories, and you're going to tell me a few."

 

"What about the short program, and the long?" Castiel asked, taking his skates out of the bag.

 

"They'll wait a day," Mary said, nodding at him. "Today is about making sure you are comfortable. It will do far more for you than trying to force yourself through a series of moves to make sure you know them."

 

Castiel smiled and nodded. "A compromise then. Could we put the music on in the background as we skate?"

 

Mary chuckled and moved over to the stereo. "That is a fair compromise. No harm in you doing a little mental stretching and working through the routines in your mind."

 

"My thoughts exactly," Castiel agreed. He smiled and finished tying his skates as Lindsey Stirling started playing. His heart leapt and he stepped out onto the ice, pushing himself off and grinning wide.

 

Everything was always simpler on the ice.

 

~!~

 

"Gabriel," Dean said, coming downstairs after he had sent Hannah up to sleep for a few hours. "You need to sleep."

 

"I don't have time to sleep," Gabriel snapped, sipping at a can of Redbull. He didn't want to look and see how many he had gone through. That would remind him that he was pushing his limits a bit far.

 

"You will sleep if I have to drag your ass away from that computer and carry you to bed," Dean said, picking up a can and throwing it into the trashcan. "Also you're a fucking slob."

 

Gabriel snorted and glared at Dean. "I wouldn't let you pick me up, let alone carry me."

 

"Wanna try me?" Dean asked. "You haven't grown much since college, I bet I could throw you over my shoulder just as easily as I could then."

 

Gabriel froze while he was typing and swallowed, willing away the memories of Dean picking him up and carrying him back to his dorm, one hand on his ass and the other firmly around his waist. Fuck, they hadn't even made it to the bed, they'd fucked right against the door, and then again on the couch.

 

He shook his head and focused on the computer again. "I'll go to sleep when Hannah wakes up. We need someone covering everything that is going on. We can't afford to not have someone doing that."

 

Dean rolled his eyes and walked over to the computer, starting to close it on Gabriel's hands. "You need an hour. At least. Hannah's already had four."

 

Gabriel blinked and was about to argue that when he looked at the clock. It was nine am. " _Oh_."

 

"Right, oh. Castiel's statement isn't until noon. You're human. You're going to go lay down for two hours, then you are going to shower and come back down here," Dean said, picking up another few cans and chucking them towards the trashcan.

 

Gabriel shook his head and frowned at the computer. "I have too much shit to do."

 

Dean reached out and this time took the computer away from Gabriel and closed it. "Right. Then I'm confiscating this. And this," he said, swiping Gabriel's phone away from him before he could grab it. "Now go lay the fuck down. I'm not dealing with you in sleep deprivation mode. You might decide to make coffee with energy drinks as your water again."

 

Gabriel blinked and glared at Dean. "That was once!"

 

"When you had been up for forty-eight hours straight, I know," Dean said, smiling as he tucked the laptop under his arm. "However, I'm not about to let you get to that point again, and since you are happily pushing about thirty six hours, and you did a seventy-two hour binge not all that long ago according to Castiel, you are going to sleep."

 

Gabriel huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Where the hell do you get off bossing me around?"

 

Dean raised an eyebrow at Gabriel and walked upstairs.

 

Gabriel glared at the desk in front of him and glanced over at Hannah's computer, considering it for a long moment. He probably could figure out Hannah's password, but it wouldn't be worth her anger. He sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair when Dean came thumping down the stairs again.

 

He sat up, grinning, because of course Dean wouldn't go through with his bluff. Except Dean re-appeared without his laptop and phone. "Where is my stuff?"

 

"In our gun safe," Dean said, tucking his phone into his pocket. "I've already talked to Mom and Cas, and told them you're going to sleep for two hours and not to call you."

 

Gabriel groaned and covered a face with his hands. "Winchester-"

 

"Speaking of," Dean said, settling into the seat beside Gabriel. "What the hell is up with that, huh?"

 

Gabriel tensed and glared at Dean. "What's up with what?"

 

"The whole 'Winchester' thing. You've done it to me a couple of times now. Instead of calling me my name. Since we used to fuck, I know you know my name, so why aren't you using it?" Dean asked, settling back into his seat.

 

Gabriel took a deep breath and didn't let himself wince at the reminder that what they had had was nothing more than fucking. That's all it had ever been and he would do well to remember that. "Sorry, didn't realize you cared," he snapped, standing up.

 

Dean watched Gabriel stalk towards the door. "Still running?"

 

Gabriel froze, his hand on the doorknob to the basement. "That's a fucking joke, coming from you."

 

"I didn't run anywhere. You asked me a question, I _answered_. You spent the rest of senior year running from me. I took a hint," Dean said. "I just want to know what the fuck happened, Gabriel. Especially after yesterday."

 

Gabriel took a deep breath and focused on the door in front of him. He could remember vividly, pinning Dean to the door and kissing him, desperately wanting to reassure himself that Dean was all right, that he'd managed to break away. "Dean, this-"

 

"Oh, so you do remember my name!" Dean said, standing up from the chair, stalking towards Gabriel.

 

Gabriel turned the knob and opened the door, taking a deep breath, his shoulders heaving a little bit. "Don't fucking insult me, Dean."

 

"That's rich," Dean said. "Coming from the guy who decided his best friend, who was also screwing, was no longer worthy of his attention. Well, you did exactly what you wanted, didn't you? Moved on to bigger and better things, right? Have a nice, cushy penthouse in New York, I'm sure. Plenty of boys at your beck and call now."

 

Gabriel wanted to be angry. Dean's words should have made him angry, even furious. He should have turned and snapped at Dean, made him hurt just as badly. But he _couldn't_. He didn't have it in him. "Fuck off, Dean. You made it clear what you wanted. I just made sure it stayed that way."

 

Dean scowled as Gabriel stomped up the stairs and pushed his hand through his hair, sighing for a long moment. He tossed the rest of the empty cans and food containers into the trash, cleaning up the rest of Gabriel's workstation before heading upstairs himself. He could hear the water running and stood in the doorway of Gabriel's bedroom for a long moment, debating if he should push harder.

 

 _'You made it clear what you wanted. I just made sure it stayed that way.'_ Gabriel's words echoed in his mind and Dean cursed, wondering what the fuck _that_ was supposed to mean.

 

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

 

Sam came down to the edge of the rink and smiled at the sight of his Mom and Castiel doing slow laps around the rink. Castiel had taken it easy today by the looks of things, running through some basic jumps and acrobatic maneuvers, but nothing else. "Hey guys!" he called, waving them over.

 

Their attention snapped to him and he could see the tension fill Castiel again a moment later and Sam sighed, wishing that he didn't have to do that. "It's about twenty minutes til noon. Cas, you want to shower again?"

 

Castiel nodded and climbed out of the rink, immediately sitting down to untie his laces. He started mumbling the speech under his breath and he jumped when Sam sat down next to him.

 

"Here," Sam said, shifting to kneel in front of Castiel. "Let me."

 

Sam untied the laces easily, removing the skates from Castiel's feet, massaging his ankles and feet easily, rotating them in his hands. Castiel gave a low groan and started to relax again. "There we go. Thought this might help a little bit."

 

"You're too good to me," Castiel said, looking at Sam in front of him.

 

Sam chuckled and shook his head, moving to Castiel's other foot, giving it the same treatment and smiling as the other man relaxed almost immediately. "I don't think there is such a thing as too good to someone. You needed to relax a little bit before we walk out there, and this seemed like the easiest way to do that."

 

Castiel nodded and closed his eyes. "I am not going to enjoy the questions that they will ask you, Sam."

 

Sam smiled and leaned down to press a kiss to Castiel's shin. "No? I have to admit that I'm a little excited. I like fighting for people."

 

Castiel opened his eyes again and stared at Sam, tilting his head. "What do you mean?"

 

"Mom used to call it a White Knight Complex," Sam said, reaching up to massage Castiel's ankles. "I like defending and protecting people. It makes me feel useful. I'm, well, intimidating at best and if I can use that to the advantage of someone else, well, I feel better about my height and stuff."

 

Castiel frowned. "You have a physique that many men would be jealous of."

 

Sam laughed and looked up at Castiel. "Is that your way of telling me that you think I'm handsome?"

 

"No," Castiel said, tilting his head to the side. "Though I do find you very handsome. Simply that, with your height, muscle culture, weight and features, there are a great many men who envy you."

 

Sam leaned in closer and pressed a kiss to Castiel's knee. "I would rather be the envy of all of the men because I'm the one that gets to kiss you."

 

Castiel blushed and stared at Sam, his eyes wide.

 

Sam leaned in and kissed Cas, soft and slow, just a simple press of their lips before he pulled back. He reached out and trailed a thumb over Castiel's lip. "We need to get you some chapstick."

 

"I-"

 

Sam pressed his finger to Castiel's lips. "Shhh, I'm just teasing. Now, how about you give me a kiss this time and then you'll feel ready to go out and face the world."

 

Castiel studied Sam's challenging eyebrow for a moment before he lurched forward and wrapped his arms around Sam's shoulders and kissed him, slamming their lips together. It was painful, only for a moment until Sam took his jaw and positioned them more appropriately.

 

Castiel didn't waste any time in deepening the kiss, pressing closer to Sam, who was still in a half crouch, until the sound of Mary clearing her throat came from beside them. He opened his eyes and yanked himself back from Sam, blushing bright red. "Er," he stammered.

 

Mary chuckled and picked up her bag, giving them both a pointed look before she headed for the door. "I'll give you both a minute or two, then you need to hit the showers, Castiel."

 

"Right," Castiel said, turning to look at Sam again. He shivered at the look in hazel eyes that told him they were going to continue this kissing later.

 

"I won't push," Sam said, standing up fully, stretching out his one leg with a grimace. "However, I think I want at least one more kiss like that before the night is over. Deal?"

 

Castiel nodded and smiled at Sam. "Yes, of course."

 

"Of course," he muttered, raising an eyebrow at Castiel. "You'd better get going to the showers before I yank you into my lap again," Sam said, grinning at Cas.

 

Castiel shook himself out of his distraction and immediately headed for the showers, looking over his shoulder for Sam only once. It still made Sam laugh, so he scowled and hurried with the shower. His nerves returned and he took a deep breath, approaching Sam and Mary by the door.

 

"They've got a podium and everything set up for you," Sam said, wrapping an arm around Castiel's waist. "I'm going to be on your left, Mom on your right. We're going to be there the whole time. You've got Gabriel's speech?"

 

Castiel nodded, his hand tightening around the piece of paper. "It's not long."

 

"Good, short and sweet is what we need right now. Dean even managed to get Gabriel to catch a few hours of sleep-"

 

"How on earth did he do that?" Castiel asked, turning to Sam, his eyes wide.

 

Sam laughed and leaned in to kiss Castiel again, just soft and quick. "I have no idea, but it might have involved locking his phone and his computer in the gun safe at the house."

 

Castiel snorted and giggled at the imagery. "He's going to make Dean pay for that."

 

"I have no doubt, but I do know that I'm going to enjoy watching what comes out of it," Sam said, squeezing Castiel. "Now, ready to go out and face them?"

 

"Yes," Castiel said, taking a deep breath and putting his hand on the door. He pushed it open and smiled into the sudden barrage of camera flashes.

 

"Some of these asshats need to buy diffusers," Sam grumbled, walking with Castiel towards the podium. "Seriously, they're going to have us looking pale as fuck."

 

Castiel snorted and looked over his shoulder to grin at Sam. "Maybe," he offered and waited for Sam to walk around to his left with Mary standing on his right. He faced the crowd and reached out, just a little to his left. Sam was holding his hand immediately and Castiel smiled.

 

He put Gabriel's speech down on the podium and looked up at the crowd. "Hello everyone."

 

Castiel held up a hand when questions suddenly started flying at him. Silence took a moment to descend, but then it did. He took another deep breath and smiled. "I have a statement I am going to make, and then Sam will field a handful of other questions. Neither Mary, nor I, will be answering questions today."

 

Another burst of noise was silenced by Castiel's hand. Sam squeezed the hand that he'd captured as his, trying to remind Castiel how proud he was that he was managing this at all.

 

"In regards to the on-going investigation that is in place, I have no comments and no details to offer. The investigation is still in progress, and for any details, you can reach out to the Bureau directly," Castiel said, waiting for anyone to argue. There were none. He nodded and glanced down at the paper again.

 

"The nature of my relationship with Sam Winchester is none of your business, and those pictures that were released were an invasion of our privacy that we are very, _very_ angry about," Castiel continued, squeezing Sam's hand. "That being said," he added, raising his hand that was clasped tightly with Sam's. "I think we have made it abundantly clear what the nature of our relationship is. I wish all of my previous relationships nothing but happiness while I pursue my own."

 

Castiel smiled and raised his chin again, looking out at the crowd. "To address any of the other concerns and questions that have been leveled at me, and at my character, I don't have time for them. I am preparing for Worlds, which I have every intent to still participate in. I'm not working with Mary to create a routine only for my own amusement," he said, gaining a few chuckles from the crowd. He turned and looked at Sam, tugging him closer. "Sam, will now field a handful of your questions."

 

Sam stepped in close and wrapped an arm around Castiel's shoulders and held him close, leaning down to press a kiss to Castiel's hair. "Thanks," he whispered. "Very well done."

 

He turned his attention to the crowd shouting questions at him and he held up a hand, mimicking what Castiel had done. It took them an extra few seconds, but they caught on and he grinned down at Cas. "Either you go one at a time, or I decide to answer none," he offered.

 

A young woman stepped up, a notepad in her hand. "Sam Winchester, didn't you only meet Castiel six weeks ago? Did you know each other before he came here to train?"

 

Sam smiled at her and turned to the microphones. "I knew of Castiel, since my Mom is still into figure skating, it would be hard not to know of him. I met him when he decided to ask me to open my rink at four in the morning, and despite my pre-caffeine grumpiness, we got along very well," he said, giving Castiel another squeeze.

 

"And you aren't taking advantage of Castiel in a time of weakness to get your fifteen minutes of fame?" Another man asked, stepping closer.

 

"I couldn't give a shit less about the fame. If this," Sam said, waving his hand over the sea of reporters. "Is what fame gets me, no thanks, I'd like y'all to fuck off." He winced and looked down at Cas. "Whoops, probably shouldn't have sworn there."

 

Castiel snickered and shook his head, staying pressed close to Sam. "No, but they'll bleep it out."

 

"Anyways," Sam said, facing the crowd again. "The fame has nothing to do with it. I simply do what majority of us do when they meet someone they are attracted to. They flirt very, _very_ badly and cross their fingers hoping for the best." A handful of chuckles rose this time and Sam relaxed a little bit.

 

"So Castiel isn't just a plaything to you?" Another voice called from the back of the crowd. "I'm concerned you see, as someone who cares, very deeply about him."

 

Sam squinted and stared at the person hiding in the back of the crowd. Castiel had gone tense under his arm and he focused on the person the crowds were parting for. In another few seconds, Crowley, his hands in his pockets of a black suit with a red tie, walked in front of them.

 

"No," Sam said, glaring at Crowley. "Castiel is not a plaything and never has been. Not only would he not allow me to treat him like that, I have far too much respect for him as a person to do that to him."

 

"So you deny that your initial attraction was to his looks, only?" Crowley asked, rocking back on his feet.

 

Sam frowned and glanced over at his mother quickly. Her face was carefully blank and he had to imagine that she was livid. "I find Castiel beautiful and attractive, however, I was attracted to his work ethic, more than anything else, initially. Anyone who comes in as early as he does, and respects your business decision when you charge him more for it is someone that I can, and do, admire."

 

Sam smiled blandly at Crowley and waited for him to continue. He looked to be weighing his next statement.

 

"You know, Castiel," Crowley said, walking closer. "If he is forcing you into anything-"

 

The crowd of reporters immediately went insane and Sam took one look at Castiel's pale face and squeezed his hand, whistling loud and hard until the crowd quieted. "I am insulted by your insinuation that I would do anything, anything at all, to push Castiel into a relationship. That might be how relationships work for you, Mister Crowley," Sam gave a lethal grin and held onto Castiel tighter. "But not for me. Castiel could leave me tomorrow, and while I would be sad, if it was what he wanted, I would let him go."

 

Crowley scowled. "How noble of you."

 

Sam merely smiled and turned to the crowd. "That will be enough questions for today, I'd like to get home," he said and gently tugged Castiel towards him, wrapping an arm around his waist and walking to the car.

 

Reporters and paparazzi surrounded him, but he did nothing but smile until they were safely behind the tinted windows of the SUV. Mary waited until she started the car before reaching out to hug her son. "That was perfect!"

 

Even Castiel, after taking a deep breath and meeting Sam's worried eyes in the mirror, agreed. "That was perfect, Sam. You twisted his words around on him perfectly."

 

Sam grinned. "I told you. White Knight Complex. Punching him in the face wouldn't have done anyone any good, and there's already a lot of talk about how young you were in the relationship with him, it paints him poorly."

 

Castiel tilted his head, staring at Sam, he bit down a smile. "I believe I might grow to like this complex of yours, Sam."

 

"Well, you're stuck with it for the time being, so I would hope so!" Sam said, winking at Cas as his Mom finally pulled out of the parking lot. He stretched and settled into the seat. "Holy shit but that takes a lot out of you, doesn't it?"

 

"Yes," Castiel said, smiling at Sam. "A great deal out of you."

 

Sam blew out a breath of air and grinned at Cas. "Well, on the bright side, we're heading home and we know exactly where Crowley is."

 

Castiel frowned. "Why is that a good thing?"

 

Sam held up a finger and smirked. "Because he is not out coaching his figure skater and you are. I don't need to point that out, but someone will. You are clearly focused on moving on. Crowley is instead focused on, what, you?" He shrugged. "That also doesn't look good."

 

Castiel caught on to what Sam was inferring. "You are thinking it could be implied that he is here for the wrong reasons?"

 

"I think it's going to be implied without us needing to do a single thing," Sam said. "We're just going to need to be on guard after what I said today. If the press turns on Crowley, I have no doubt that whoever came after Dean is going to suddenly come after you more directly."

 

Castiel took a deep breath and nodded. "A police escort might be wise."

 

"We've got one for you, starting tomorrow," Mary said, looking over her shoulder. "Jody, the sheriff, she called in some favors, and her staff is pulling double duty to make sure you're protected."

 

Castiel bit down on his lip, the insecurity immediately popping up again. So many people going to all of this trouble for him, it couldn't possibly be worth whatever they may or may not get in return. "I, please apologize to her for the inconvenience."

 

Mary smiled at Castiel and nodded. "I'll make sure to. She'll wipe it off as nothing though. For the most part, this is the most interesting thing to happen in this area of Minnesota for years."

 

Castiel chuckled. "So I've saved you all from boredom?"

 

"Exactly," Sam said, turning around to wink at Castiel. "So, we're all very thankful to you, in actuality."

 

Castiel shook his head and buried his face in his hands, smiling just a little. "I need to understand why this is happening, Sam."

 

"I know you do," Sam said, reaching out to squeeze Castiel's knee. They were heading past the barricade down their road and Sam stared out the window, skimming the woods. "But trust me, none of this is your fault. All you are guilty of is breaking up with someone you no longer wanted to be with. That's not a crime, that's not news-worthy."

 

Castiel sighed and nodded. "I'm aware. It is everything else that has caused these difficulties."

 

"You're right, but we'll get through them as anyone else gets through this type of diversity," Mary said, smiling at Castiel in the rear view. "Together."

 

Castiel's smile widened and he took a larger, shakier breath. He needed to continue to focus on his routines and make sure they were flawless for worlds. That was what he needed to do.

 

Castiel spent the rest of the day relaxing and watching Netflix with Sam. He was well-aware that it was a concentrated effort to make sure he relaxed and didn't think about anything else that was going on, but it was better to do this than to let himself be completely consumed by the idea that something was going to happen in the next few hours. Thinking like that would only lead to ruin and to more issues.

 

"Cas?" Sam asked, rubbing at Castiel's shoulders. "You okay? You tensed up on me there."

 

Castiel shifted and looked over at Sam, sighing a little bit and leaning against him. "I wish things were different. Perhaps then they might be easier. Gabriel would be able to sleep, things would simply be, easier."

 

"Easier definitely isn't always better," Sam said, humming as he paused the episode they were watching. "I'll give you an example. I promised to tell you the story of why I came back, right?"

 

Castiel's eyes snapped open and he looked up at Sam. "The reason that you came back to Minnesota? To here?"

 

"Yeah," Sam said, taking a deep breath. "Okay, so the story requires a little bit of background information. First thing you need to know about me is that I always intended to get out of Minnesota. Whether it was via a hockey scholarship or some other method, I didn't care, I had to get away. I was suffocated and felt it every single second of every day."

 

"I see," Castiel said, nodding and relaxing into Sam. "So why did you-"

 

"I'll get there!" Sam said, laughing a little. "So, first and foremost, you know that I went into hockey and that I threw myself into that, until I got injured."

 

Castiel nodded again. "Yes, you've told me as much."

 

Sam smiled and took another deep breath. "What I didn't tell you was that afterward, I was so angry, I got into a lot of bad habits with bad people. I decided if I couldn't get away using sports, I would do it using my head. So I went to pre-law at Stanford."

 

Castiel hummed and closed his eyes, reaching out to take Sam's hand, giving it a slow squeeze. "Was that what you wanted?"

 

"No, it just seemed like the best option at the time and Stanford was willing to give me a free ride, something I desperately needed," Sam said, clearing his throat. "So, I went to Stanford, remained with those people who were not good for me and graduated, full honors and ride into Stanford law. I thought I had it made."

 

"What happened?" Castiel asked, his voice quiet.

 

Sam blew out a harsh breath of air and stared at the wall in front of him. "A lot of things happened, all at once, very quickly. First thing, my girlfriend was killed in a fire that destroyed my entire apartment. I lost control after that. I threw myself into the most unsavory lifestyle you can imagine. Drugs, alcohol, anything that could make me forget what had happened."

 

Sam choked on his next breath of air and forced an inhale. "So, here I am, my grades completely tanking, at risk of losing my scholarship, when Dean shows up."

 

Castiel bit down on his lip. "I am guessing that Dean's interference was not something that you wanted, or would have been interested in at this point."

 

"You would be right," Sam said with a laugh, shaking his head. "I was so angry with him for showing up, and he'd done nothing other than to come and try to reconcile after everything that had happened."

 

"Did he realize what was going on with you?"

 

Sam sighed and leaned back against the couch. "He did. It took him a few days, but he did."

 

Castiel waited for Sam to continue, but it seemed like no more words were forthcoming. He cleared his throat and watched Sam shake himself out of the reverie he was in. "What happened after that?"

 

"We fought. Shouted at each other. Got into an old-school fist fight. I'd been itching for one ever since Dean had shown up, and this gave me exactly what I thought I wanted," Sam said, giving a small smile. "Dean kicked my ass and decked me hard enough to knock me out. It took me two weeks to be able to talk without my jaw hurting after that."

 

Castiel gave a quick smile and watched Sam gather his thoughts for what he wanted to say next.

 

"After that," Sam's eyes were glassy, remembering the following few months. "When I woke up, we were in Nevada, about to cross the state border again," he blew out a breath and laughed. "Oh god, I was so angry with Dean, Cas, you have no idea. He'd essentially kidnapped me. And had Mom call and withdraw me from school and suspend all of my credits. He took me to our Uncle Bobby's, where I sat in his basement, and detoxed for almost a month straight."

 

Castiel breathed out hard and squeezed Sam's arm tightly. "I can't imagine what that was like."

 

"It was a mess of my own making," Sam said, shaking his head. "While it definitely wasn't pleasant, it was the best thing that Dean has ever done for me and I'll never be able to thank him for it."

 

Castiel nodded and nuzzled into Sam's shoulder again. "How did that end with you up here?"

 

Sam blew out a breath. "There was an old rink up here. The one I own, now. It's been run-down for years, and the owner had been trying to sell it for even longer. I convinced my parents to loan me the money so I could fix the place up." He smiled and stared at the ceiling. "Minus some of the bigger work, almost everything there was done by me, and when he could help, Dean."

 

Castiel smiled and leaned up to kiss Sam's cheek. "The rink is beautiful, Sam."

 

"Yeah, a few years later. You should have seen how bad it was those first couple of years. But slowly, I started getting business. Mom needed a closer place to teach some of the younger students she had, and they started using my rink," Sam continued, his smile widening. "After that, we picked up a few hockey leagues, mostly locals, but that's fine. The schedule started filling out. I could afford to hire a few people to help me maintain the place. So I did."

 

Castiel nodded when Sam turned to look at him and tilted his head up for the kiss that Sam was leaning in for. "And after that?"

 

Sam chuckled. "After that, the rest is history. I've long since paid off the loan that my parents gave me to get started, I make enough to keep a house of my own, and to keep myself fed, and the rink kept up."

 

"Do you ever think you'll go back to school?" Castiel asked, looking at Sam.

 

"Someday," Sam said, pressing a kiss to Castiel's forehead. "I've got my four-year degree, I don't really need the law degree now, nor do I want one."

 

Castiel's smile widened and he nodded, settling in and against Sam. "So you're going to stay here, and grow old, maintaining your rink and taking care of it."

 

Sam shrugged. "I don't know, I haven't had anything else that I wanted to do before now. At first, it was about finding something to throw myself into, and afterward, it was a good challenge to keep myself in, so I kept doing it and didn't stop. I don't know if I need or want a change, it would depend on what it was."

 

"Do you ever think about the things that happened back then?"

 

"I try not to," Sam said, glancing down at Castiel. "It was a very dark time for me, and I don't like to think about the steps that led me there and how easy it would be to fall right into that again. I don't want to even contemplate that, since it would do nothing but invite instability I don't want."

 

Castiel hummed again and reached out to restart the episode they had been watching. "I think you are the bravest man I have ever met, Sam Winchester," Castiel said, his voice soft.

 

Sam tightened his arm around Castiel and shifted to press his face into dark hair. "Thank you for not thinking less of me."

 

"I could never do so," Castiel said, his voice ringing with conviction. "Well, barring certain circumstances," he added, sneaking a grin up to Sam, just to see him smile briefly. "However, there is nothing that you could tell me about your past that would make me see you differently. All of those things have made you the person that you are today. And I care very greatly about the person you are today."

 

Sam laughed and let his head fall back on the couch. "Cas, you are one of the strangest people I have ever met in my entire life."

 

"I am well-aware," Castiel said, reaching out to poke Sam. "Now, hush and let me focus on what we are watching."

 

Sam grinned and settled in to watch the next episode of The Wire. It was a good episode, he couldn't be angry with Castiel for that.

 

 


	16. Chapter 16

 

 

Mary peeked in on the boys an hour later and found them chuckling together over an episode of whatever they were watching. Dean and Gabriel were dancing around each other, which meant they had started the conversation that they needed to have, but hadn't finished it yet. She shook her head. Her boys, stubborn as mules. They would figure their way out eventually.

 

Her phone rang again and she tensed, pulling it out of her pocket. "Well, well, I was surprised by your stunt earlier today," she said, turning away from the living room and heading to the bedroom to be alone for a few minutes.

 

"Ah, Mary, you should know that I will do everything at all possible to make sure that Cassie is not able to compete, and by the looks of things, he is already starting to fall apart. He could only speak with the both of you standing by his side like that. That doesn't bode well for Worlds," Crowley said.

 

"You focus on your skater and I am going to focus on mine," Mary growled, tightening her hand into a fist. "I'm not going to let your scare tactics and bullshit keep me from doing what he has hired me to do."

 

Crowley chuckled. "You really should keep a better eye on that family of yours, Mary. A kidnapping, and an almost-shooting, all in the same day? Why, it won't take much more at all for Castiel to believe that you can't protect him at all."

 

Mary swallowed hard, closing her eyes, her mind whirling with plans. "Crowley, I am done playing this game with you. If you continue, you will lose."

 

"If I continue? My dear, I already have, and I already know that I have won, on top of that, so what, precisely, do you intend to do to stop me?"

 

Mary scowled when Crowley hung up the phone in her ear before she could respond. She hurried downstairs to the basement and waved to Hannah. "I need a moment alone with Gabriel, please."

 

"Of course," Hannah said, heading upstairs. She glanced over her shoulder at Mary Winchester and frowned, pulling out her phone. Maybe it was time to pull some old strings...

 

 

~!~

 

 

"Mary?" Gabriel asked, finishing the email he was typing before looking up at her. "What's wrong?"

 

"This was just step one. There's a step two. I don't know what it is, but we need to be on guard," Mary said, clenching the phone in her hand a little bit tighter. "I can't believe that he would try something with everyone in town and-"

 

"Mary," Gabriel snapped. "I need you to breathe and focus and tell me what has happened so I can help fix it."

 

"Crowley," Mary said, waving her phone. "A new wave of threats, as well as promises that Castiel isn't going to be able to compete, same as the old ones."

 

Gabriel nodded and turned his attention completely to her. "All right. Do we know what he is going to target this time?"

 

"Yes," Mary said, nodding hard. "He's going to target the rink, it's what would make the most difference. If Castiel loses the practice facility, he has to move, and we can't protect him as easily."

 

Gabriel blew out a hard breath and stared at Mary, frowning. "You know that we're going to have an impossible time explaining that to anyone without telling them about Crowley's phone call?"

 

"I could help with that," Hannah said, stepping back into the room. She shrugged at the look they both gave her and smiled. "Don't yell at me for doing my job Gabriel, that's how this works and you know it."

 

Gabriel sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair. "Okay, fine, I'll bite. What's your plan?"

 

Hannah stepped closer and held the phone up to her ear. "Hold that thought, I'm already putting it into action. We'll just need round the clock guards at the rink. Shouldn't be too hard."

 

"We're going to attract too much attention like this," Gabriel muttered, pushing his fingers through his hair. "There are news vans there, shouldn't that be enough to keep any potential arsonists or something else away?"

 

"No," Hannah said, before speaking rapidly into the phone and turning her back on Mary and Gabriel. When she was finished, a few minutes later, she turned back to them. "There are simply not enough of us, and while the sheriff's department is helping, their staff is burning themselves out trying to maintain the bedlam that we have going on."

 

Mary exhaled hard and stared at her. "So what are you suggesting?"

 

Hannah motioned to Mary's phone. "You're going to call the sheriff. She's going to put in a request for some members of the National Guard to be stationed here to help keep the peace. With the FBI investigation going on, it won't take long for the request to go through at all. They'll be supplemental to her staff and won't interfere with the investigation."

 

Gabriel chuckled and pushed his fingers through his hair, staring at Hannah. "And let me guess, a few members of your old squadron are going to be the ones to volunteer and help us out?"

 

Hannah gave a large smile as Mary immediately dialed and made the phone call. "I am not without my own connections Gabriel. Again, you did know this when you hired me, and you know that I will do whatever is necessary to help you and Castiel."

 

"I want to know what the hell I did to earn this kind of loyalty," Gabriel said, laughing a little bit as he reached for the bottle of water next to him and took a large swig.

 

Hannah raised her eyebrow at the water, but Gabriel ignored her inquisitive look and she focused on what they could handle in front of her. Though she did have a sneaking suspicion that Dean was behind the bottles of water that were littered among the Red Bull cans now. "You didn't leave your brother," she said simply, shrugging.

 

When Gabriel blinked at her and gave her a blank look, she continued. "Gabriel, with everything that Castiel has been facing for the past few weeks, I do not know of a single other Public Relations manager that would not have only stayed with his client, but gone beyond the call of duty to help."

 

"He's my family," Gabriel said, giving a helpless shrug. "On top of that, he's the only family I actually like, so I am predisposed to want to help him in all things."

 

Hannah smiled and shook her head. "I do understand that Gabriel, but not everyone thinks like you. That kind of thinking is rare and does not happen often, so please understand that when I am surprised, it is not for a bad reason, simply because it does tend to be so unexpected."

 

Gabriel snorted and rolled his eyes. "Right, love fest over, we've got shit to plan. Mary, is Jody putting in that request form?"

 

"Yes, and she wants to know what the hell we are planning," Mary said, glancing over to Hannah. "What are we going to do about Crowley, Gabriel. We need to come up with a plan."

 

"I might be able to help with that as well," Hannah cut in, smiling at them both.

 

Gabriel laughed and waved his hand at her, gesturing for her to go ahead. "Have at it. Go ahead and upstage me completely, why not!"

 

~!~

 

Later that night, after a perfectly healthy dinner (since they couldn't subsist on pizza, no matter what Dean thought), Castiel led Sam up to the bedroom and considered what their options were. Clearly, waking up together was leading to certain...bodily reactions.

 

"Cas?" Sam asked, yawning and wrapping an arm around Castiel's waist. "Stop thinking so damn much. It'll be fine. I'll wake you up with a kiss. Now come here, I want to pass out."

 

Castiel smiled as Sam crawled into bed and left one arm wide open for him to curl into. He took a deep breath and did exactly that, breathing in Sam's scent as it surrounded him. He melted into the warmth that Sam offered and grinned. "Maybe we could try something different in the morning."

 

"We can do whatever you want," Sam promised and pressed a kiss to the top of Castiel's hair again. "Just try and get some rest."

 

"Of course," Castiel promised, taking a deep breath. He tried to relax, but his mind was still spinning. What if something happened to Sam? Something that he couldn't prevent? What was he going to do, how would he ever live with himself?"

 

"All right," Sam said, settling in. "So we have two options, either I give you a blow job to make you relax, or I tell you stupid stories from when Dean and I were kids."

 

Castiel snorted and looked up at Sam, raising an eyebrow at him. "Is that even a choice? Stories, of course."

 

Sam laughed and leaned down to kiss Castiel, pulling back after a few seconds. "I should tell you about the time our Dad started teach us to be survivalists. I fucking hated any of those lessons, but Dean soaked them up like you wouldn't believe."

 

"What happened?" Castiel asked, fighting a yawn.

 

"Well, Dad decided that the best way to test and see if we had been listening was to drug us during dinner, take us out into the middle of the woods and leave us nothing other than a hatchet, a shotgun and a really poorly drawn map to make our way back."

 

Castiel laughed, shaking his head. "You can't be serious!! How were you supposed to find your way home?"

 

Sam shook his head and cuddled into Castiel. "We spent a couple of cold and completely miserable hours debating what to do and if Dad was really going to leave us there before we decided that yes, he was, and we needed to build a fire if we didn't want to freeze overnight."

 

Sam chuckled and took a deep breath. "Forty-eight hours later, we finally got home and stumbled through the door. Mom was waiting, of course, and ordered us up to have showers. What we didn't realize, until, of course, we'd already started to head up stairs, was that our Dad walked in right behind us."

 

"He was with you the whole time?" Castiel asked.

 

"He was with us the whole time. He was also armed and packed with all of the essentials in case we got into trouble that we couldn't handle, like a bear or something," Sam said, grinning at the memory. "So yeah, Dad is an asshole, but he's an asshole that wouldn't let us get hurt, so he made sure that we were good to go."

 

Castiel shook his head. "I cannot even begin to imagine what that must have been like, I'm so sorry that you had to put up with that, Sam."

 

"I'm not!" Sam said. "It made it a hell of a lot easier whenever we went camping. I'd get teased a lot about never bringing provisions and stuff, but I remember one year, I set up a few traps and caught, I don't remember if it's three or four rabbits and skinned them so we could eat it later."

 

Castiel chuckled and relaxed into Sam again. "That's a good story. Do you have more?"

 

"Oh yeah," Sam said. "I'll save the one for when Dean got dropped off naked and had to make his way back here. Dean and Dad take it to a whole different level, I just know the basics."

 

"I'll remind you to tell me that story someday," Castiel said.

 

"Ask Dean, he tells it perfectly, and I promise that you'll be laughing the entire time," Sam said, yawning again. "But now, bedtime stories are over and I would like to pass out."

 

"Of course," Castiel said, stretching and fitting one hand under the hem of Sam's shirt before starting to doze off.

 

Sam wanted to groan at Castiel being a tempting little bastard, but that's okay, since it was a large part of his appeal. He closed his eyes and forced himself to relax, his breathing patterns settling into something steady not too long afterward.

 

 


	17. Chapter 17

 

 

Castiel gave a low moan against his neck and Sam snapped awake, unable to keep from grinning. "Castiel, we've got to stop meeting like this," he teased. Castiel only rocked against him harder and more insistently.

 

Soft and hot puffs of air were coming out and along his neck and Sam shivered, adjusting his arm around Castiel's waist when the alarm went off and Castiel jolted awake, nearly flying away from him and to the other side of the bed.

 

Sam hit the alarm clock and raised an eyebrow at Castiel, whose cheeks were still flushed and bright red, his eyes dark with arousal. "Good morning?"

 

"I, uh," Castiel cleared his throat. "Apologies for this happening. _Again_."

 

"You don't need to apologize, Cas," Sam said, grinning at him, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "You really don't, I promise. I told you, I get into it as well."

 

Castiel bit down on his lip and looked up at Sam's easy grin. He scooted closer, reaching out to kiss Sam softly, gently, just tasting his lips. Sam groaned into his mouth and Castiel couldn't help but shiver, reaching out to hold onto the taller man. "So, I uh, could we?"

 

Sam raised both eyebrows and stared at Castiel for a long moment. "If you're sure that's what you want. If you just wanna get off, you know, riding my leg, totally cool too."

 

"You'd let me do that?" Castiel blurted, his eyes wide.

 

"Yeah, of course," Sam said, grinning at him. "I think it's hot as hell, and I'm certainly not going to force you to touch me if you don't want to."

 

"I," Castiel cleared his throat, his mind spinning. "You wouldn't require me to reciprocate in some way?"

 

"Nope," Sam said, stretching his arms up and over his head. "I mean yeah, it'd be nice, but I've got a perfectly working hand that I can make use of after you get out of the shower." He shrugged. "So whatever you wanna do is fine, it's entirely up to you."

 

Castiel took another deep breath and crawled closer, until he was almost pressed against Sam again. "I think that you are going to do laundry this evening," he whispered, leaning in to kiss Sam.

 

Sam closed his eyes and let Castiel entirely control the pace of the kiss, spreading his legs to Castiel could position himself however he liked. "I can do that," he whispered when Castiel pulled away enough to smile at him before straddling his leg. He groaned, and dropped his hands to Castiel's waist. "This okay?"

 

"Yes, of course," Castiel said, rocking his hips down against Sam's thigh, the gritty friction of it making him shudder. He had been close when he had stirred from his dream. "I, I just," he panted.

 

"I know," Sam said, squeezing Castiel's waist again, his mouth dry as he watched him move. "Don't worry, there's nothing that you have to do, nothing that I expect you to do here. I just want to give you what you need."

 

Castiel let out another whine and rolled his hips harder and faster, chasing his release as he rocked against Sam. Sam pressed a kiss to his head and he shifted, leaning up to kiss Sam, planting his hands on Sam's shoulders to keep control and to keep himself steady.

 

The shift in position had him grinding against Sam's hip instead of his thigh, and Castiel moaned into their next kiss, nibbling and sucking on Sam's lips, rocking himself desperately. He could feel Sam doing his absolute best not to move, and to keep himself still, but he was so hard and so hot against his thigh, Castiel couldn't help but grind his thigh down and into Sam's erection, making Sam moan into his mouth.

 

The sound was pure intoxication and Castiel rocked harder and faster, small panting whines escaping his throat as he moved. A few seconds later he could feel his release starting in the very pit of his stomach until he was exploding and making a mess of his sleep pants, Sam's name escaping him in a whisper.

 

He shivered and took a deep breath, trying to recover, but he felt dizzy, and tired, in a good way. He gave Sam a sleepy smile and pressed his thigh a little harder against Sam's erection.

 

Sam choked on a groan and gasped, thrusting up and against Castiel's thigh before he came, making a mess of his own sleepwear. "Shit, shit, sorry, sorry, Cas," he panted, his mind and body going completely boneless as he sank into the bed.

 

Castiel hummed and pressed a kiss to Sam's collar bone as he stood and headed for the bathroom. "Why are you sorry?" he asked, looking over his shoulder. Sam was the picture of debauched desire, his hair mussed and a wet stain on his pants. Castiel gave a pleased smile.

 

"I uh, was trying not to pressure you," Sam said, closing his eyes and trying not to shiver under the frank appraisal that Castiel was giving him.

 

"Consider me not pressured and very satisfied, Sam," Castiel said, stretching and shutting the bathroom door behind him.

 

Sam groaned and pressed a hand to his face, crawling out of bed and grabbing some clothes for himself. Castiel was mercifully quick with the shower and Sam hurried in there before his Mom could come in and start asking questions. Sexed out was a damn good look on Cas and he needed to forget about that if he wanted to get any work done today, whatsoever.

 

He took another deep breath and focused on showering and cleaning his hair, then making his way downstairs after he was finished getting ready. Mary was giving both of them shrewd looks and Sam focused on the coffee cup in front of him, hoping that she wouldn't press it, at least not right now.

 

"I wanted to inform you both of something before we leave today," Mary said, looking at them over her own mug of coffee and cream. "There are going to be a few members of the National Guard at the rink over the next couple of days. Nothing to worry about, I just wanted you to be aware, in case you saw them."

 

Sam tensed and raised an eyebrow at his mother. "Is there any reason in particular they're focusing on the rink and not on Castiel, like they should be?"

 

Castiel frowned at Sam. "I already have all of you protecting me, I do not need additional people hovering over me constantly."

 

Sam was contrite for a moment. "Sorry, Cas. I just want to make sure that we keep you safe and that no one has a chance to get near you, because you know that they are going to try."

 

"I do," Castiel agreed, turning to Mary. "What is the concern?"

 

"Put simply?" Mary asked. "If someone burns down that rink, it forces you to move to go somewhere else to practice. Somewhere where you won't have the entire town protecting you. You'll be thrown into the open and much more vulnerable to paparazzi and things of that nature."

 

Castiel took a deep breath and nodded, looking over at Sam. "We can't let anything happen to that rink, so thank you for taking the necessary steps to make sure that nothing happens with it," he said, smiling at Mary a moment later.

 

"It's just a rink," Sam snapped, glaring at both his mother and Castiel. "Did it receive a threat? Is it even going to be safe for you to practice there?"

 

Castiel looked at Sam and reached out to touch his arm. "Sam. It will be all right. Nothing is going to happen to any of us while we are in the rink. You'll clear it this morning, with Dean, just like you did yesterday. I'll practice and then we'll repeat and continue to do whatever we need to to make this work, right?"

 

Sam stared down at Castiel and smiled, leaning in to steal a quick kiss. "You got too wise, too damn quick. Aren't I supposed to be the logical thinking one here?"

 

"Yes, well," Castiel said, straightening his shirt. "Sometimes you clearly need to abdicate the position to me."

 

Sam chuckled and looked up at his mother and nodded. "All right, fine. Let's head to the rink, do you know where Dean is?"

 

"Coffee," Dean said as he shuffled in, heading immediately for the machine. "Cas, I have no idea how the hell you do this. It is too damn early to be alive, let alone get up and be expected to function."

 

Castiel chuckled. "I have never been what one would call a morning person, Dean," he said, stretching a little. "But this is a part of being a figure skater that I have simply come to accept as something I will deal with."

 

"Coulda fooled me," Dean muttered into his cup of coffee. "At least you're with morning sunshine over there, who actually likes being an early bird."

 

Sam snorted and finished off the last of the coffee. "Quit your bitching, just because I like to go for runs in the morning and get up before ten am-"

 

"Makes you a morning person," Dean grumbled, finishing his first cup and pouring a second. "Let me get this down and I'll be human enough to make sure you guys are safe this morning."

 

"All right," Mary said, rinsing her glass in the sink. "All of you rinse your glasses, I'm going to let John know that we are leaving, and that we'll be at the rink for most of the day."

 

Castiel nodded to her and took another slow inhale of his coffee. He took a sip and smiled as Dean chugged his in several quick gulps. "At least we drink our coffee the same," he offered, smiling at Dean.

 

Dean turned to Castiel and glanced into the cup, noting that it was as black as his own was. "Knew I liked something about you."

 

"Yeah, you both have an unhealthy obsession with burgers and disgusting taste in coffee," Sam quipped, rolling his eyes at them. "Come on, Dean, stop hitting on Cas, we've got plenty of work we need to be doing."

 

Dean grumbled and made his way over to the door, tugging on his boots. "Fine, fine, fine, I'll try to behave. Stop acting like a jealous girlfriend, Samantha, I'm not going to hit on your boy toy."

 

"Fuck off," Sam said cheerily, cuffing Dean upside the head. "You can fuck right off, and if you don't cut the attitude, I'll make you clear the basement."

 

Castiel rolled his eyes at the antics between the brothers and finished the last of his coffee, heading to the car with Mary. A moment later, Dean and Sam came out of the house. He smiled at them. "You've raised great sons, Mary."

 

Mary smiled widely and waited for both of the boys to climb into the car, still bickering with each other. "Yeah, I did. Even if they annoy the hell out of me some days."

 

Castiel chuckled and relaxed into the back seat, reaching out for Sam's hand as he settled in next to him. He took a deep breath and tried to forget about all of the news vans that were going to be waiting for him at the rink. Maybe Crowley would even be there.

 

"Hey Cas," Sam said, shaking Castiel's shoulder gently. "We're here. You awake?"

 

"Unfortunately," Castiel grumbled, stretching and running his fingers through his hair. "Let's do this."

 

"It looks like there are a few reporters less than yesterday, so we're making some improvement. Maybe your statement scared them off," Dean said, sliding out of the car and opening the door to a series of photographs. "Or maybe not!"

 

Castiel chuckled and waited for Sam as he climbed out of the car on his side and then went over to his and opened the door. He grabbed Sam's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, following Sam as he led him through the crowd. He raised an eyebrow at the guard standing by the door, giving him a merry wave. He waved back and noted people taking pictures.

 

He waited until they were inside and he realized that the guard had followed them in. Castiel tensed and stepped closer to Sam.

 

"Oh, sorry!" The guard said, holding out his hand. "I just wanted to introduce myself in case you needed to call for help or something! I'm Garth, Hannah called me and told me that you guys needed some help."

 

Castiel relaxed and shook the young man's hand, giving him a smile. "Thank you for being willing to come help."

 

"Are you kidding? This is the most exciting thing I've done in months!" Garth said, snapping a salute to the other four. "Mary, Gabriel has my phone number, just let me know when you guys want to leave and I'll make sure that the crowd around the door is clear!"

 

Mary watched him head back out and into the crowd of reporters a moment later and smiled. "I like him."

 

Dean snorted and rolled his eyes, pulling out his handgun. "Yeah, if you like peppy over-achievers, sure."

 

"Hey, if it keeps your ass from being kidnapped again, I'll take it," Sam shot back, grinning and heading towards the basement, his gun out and held loosely by his side.

 

"Oh fuck off!" Dean snapped from the other side of the rink.

 

Sam's laughter followed him down and into the basement. Castiel tightened his hand on his duffel bag, waiting nervously for a few more minutes until both of the boys returned with smiles on their faces.

 

"Nothing to be concerned about. Sam, you have actual work to do, I'm going to go pass out in the office for a few hours," Dean said, giving another yawn.

 

Sam rolled his eyes and watched his brother walk off. "Yeah, yeah, don't think you're getting completely out of cleaning while you're here today!" He snorted when he saw Dean flipping him the bird and focused back on Castiel and Mary. "Rink's all yours, you guys let me know if you need anything."

 

Castiel nodded and smiled at Sam as he walked towards the rink. He took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of the fresh ice, the rest of his tension slipping away. "We are going to work on routines today, right?" he asked Mary, smiling at her.

 

"Yes," she said, giving him a firm nod. "Both of them. Run through them first without the triples and quads, let's get you stretched."

 

Castiel knelt down and worked on getting his skates laced. "There's only three weeks until Worlds. Do you think I'm ready?"

 

"I think you'd be ready tomorrow, if you want my honest answer," Mary said, clearing her throat and stepping out onto the ice behind Castiel. "However, I think the next three weeks will do wonders to refine the areas that you want to work on."

 

Castiel took a deep breath and nodded, taking another lap around the ice, bending slowly as he tried to breathe. He needed to focus. There were plenty of things that wanted to distract him, they could all float away into something else. Here there was nothing but him and the ice.

 

Mary smiled as she watched Castiel take slow laps around the rink, his whole body bending and flexing as he stretched. She queued up the music the second he waved to her and watched as he stopped in the middle of the rink and then began to move. His movements were far more relaxed and elegant than they had been a few weeks ago. He'd learned to relax and to let go of the forced posture that had always been his hallmark.

 

She watched Castiel jump into an easy double, his face grinning, bright and wide as he moved into the next part, bending down to touch his toes before pulling his foot off the ice and into an arch behind him. "Very good, well done, Castiel!" Mary called.

 

Sam smiled at Castiel as he worked, watching as Mary put him through his paces, making sure that he was landing every move, both artistic and jump as the routines went on.

 

By the time they both called for a break for lunch, Sam was approaching them with sandwiches. "Turns out, when you know the kid working at Subway, you can ask for things to be delivered," he said, offering them both sandwiches.

 

Castiel lit up and reached out for the sandwich immediately, pulling the guards onto his skates and walking towards Sam. "Thank you," he whispered, waiting for Sam to lean down and kiss him. Sam kissed Castiel, soft and slow, taking his time, and only sucking Castiel's lower lip into his mouth after a moment.

 

"My, my. One would think that you aren't pretending with a show like that," Mary said, looking at the two boys with a raised eyebrow.

 

Sam coughed and turned away, wanting to glare at his mother, but he knew damn well that he deserved that comment. He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. "Well, maybe we aren't pretending."

 

Mary raised an eyebrow and looked to Castiel. "Is that so?"

 

Castiel cleared his throat and reached out to squeeze Sam's hand. "Yes, we aren't pretending."

 

"Excellent, about time the two of you got things figured out. Now, eat your sandwich, Castiel, I want you back on the ice in half an hour."

 

Sam laughed and rolled his eyes as his Mom headed up to the office, likely to bother Dean with something. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Castiel's forehead. "As long as it's your choice, Castiel."

 

"Well, I certainly cannot allow anyone else to snatch you up while I am still deciding," Castiel said, taking a large bite of his sandwich to prevent any additional conversation.

 

Sam knew a forced stop to a conversation when he saw one and nodded, digging into his own sandwich. "Fair enough." It might have sent a delicious little thrill up his spine at the idea that Castiel wanted him enough that he would do so before he entirely thought that he was ready for it. But as long as it was his choice, he had no problem with it whatsoever.

 

Sam bumped his foot into Castiel's skate and managed to get the other man to smile at him. He relaxed back into his chair and took another deep breath. Maybe things would calm down and he wouldn't need to worry. They would make it to Worlds, they would figure things out, and hell, maybe they'd even come out of this together.

 

"Sam?" Castiel said, looking around for Mary. It looked like she was still upstairs with Dean. "After Worlds, I-"

 

"Cassie! What a quaint little set up you have here. You always did enjoy more rustic life!" Crowley said, striding forward with his hands in his pocket.

 

Castiel froze and turned to stare at his former coach, his heart beating wildly. "Crowley! What are you doing here?"

 

Crowley shrugged and smiled. "I wanted to check on you. I miss you Castiel. The rink, and home, certainly don't feel the same without you there."

 

Castiel swallowed and glared at his former coach. "I'm glad that they don't feel the same, however, if you are attempting to cause feelings of nostalgia-"

 

"Things weren't all bad between us, were they Cassie?" Crowley asked, stepping closer.

 

Sam growled and stood up, stepping between Castiel and Crowley, preventing any additional movement forward. "No, I don't think so."

 

Crowley chuckled. "Do call off your guard dog. I know that things between you are a farce, a moment of convenience, as it were."

 

Castiel reached out and touched Sam's arm, putting just enough pressure into the touch to get him to move to the side. "It's all right, Sam. I am not afraid of him any longer."

 

"Afraid of me any longer! My, that's certainly different from what you were saying only days before you decided to leave! Words of love and devotion, if I remember correctly..."

 

"Crowley," Castiel snapped, his back ramrod straight as he stared at the other man. "What do you want? Why are you here?"

 

Crowley shrugged and rocked back on his heels. "No reason whatsoever. I just wanted to see my favorite ex and check out his new training facility."

 

Castiel glanced over at Sam again and raised his chin. "These are some of the best facilities I have ever had the pleasure of working in Crowley. I would advise you not to insult them."

 

"Or what?" Crowley asked, chuckling as he raised an eyebrow at Castiel. "Threatening me now, Castiel? Are you sure that's a wise decision?"

 

"Not a threat, merely a statement," Castiel said, glaring at his former coach. "I advise you not to insult them. I have come to love working here, very much, and far more than I ever did with my old location."

 

"Oh, Cassie, you cut me to the quick," Crowley said, grasping at his heart. "But since you won't listen to me, maybe you'll listen to logic." He turned to look at Sam Winchester and raised an eyebrow. "You sure you want to go down this path?"

 

Sam stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Castiel's shoulders. "I have never been more sure of anything else in my life."

 

"I will bring you both down," Crowley hissed, glaring at them. "Ruin and disgrace, for the both of you. Castiel will never be able to enter a figure skating tournament again."

 

Sam chuckled and narrowed his eyes. "May I remind you that you are making threats, now, Crowley? Very real ones?"

 

"So?" Crowley asked, spreading his hands wide to the stadium. "Who is recording me here, in nowhere, Minnesota?"

 

"I am," Castiel said, pulling his phone out of his pocket, holding it out to Crowley, showing the red dot that indicated the recording that was happening this very moment. "Recording, that is. Every statement you have made here. The threats, the implications. Whatever you have put into place, Crowley, it stops now, or I give this to the police."

 

"Blackmail?" Crowley asked, laughing as he stepped closer to Castiel. "Why, my dear boy, I'm proud of you. I never would have thought you capable of something like that."

 

Castiel straightened his back and glared at Crowley. "I don't care what you think. Just leave us all alone. Call off whatever you have planned, or whatever you had thought to do and I'll see you at Worlds."

 

"My, my, my," Crowley drawled, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Little bird grew a spine."

 

Sam stiffened at the nickname, the same from the threat that he had received a few days ago, just before everything had gone to hell. "Cas-"

 

"Can't have you ruining all of my well-laid plans now, can I?" Crowley said, tapping his jaw. He hummed again and started to head for the door. "I'll see you boys in a few weeks at Worlds," he called.

 

Crowley paused after opening the door and looked back at Castiel and his...dog. "Castiel. Be ready," he snarled, shutting the door behind him.

 

Castiel went limp, crashing to his knees, his hand still holding the phone trembling as he leaned into Sam, trying to suck in desperate breaths. "Sam, Sam, he's going to do something, he's going to hurt all of you, we have to stop him!"

 

"Cas, it's going to be okay, Cas, just look at me," Sam said, wrapping his hands around Castiel's face, leaning in to press their foreheads together. "Trust me, it's going to be okay, I promise that it's going to be okay."

 

Castiel took another deep breath, trying to focus on Sam's voice in front of him. A few seconds later, he heard Mary's voice and then her hands were on his shoulder as well. He blinked and he felt Sam pick him up and then he was being carried somewhere, somewhere still inside the rink.

 

He closed his eyes and let the blackness come. It was easier than trying to think.

 

 


	18. Chapter 18

 

 

Sam nearly tripped when Castiel went entirely limp in his arms and he looked to his Mom, panicked. "We need to call an ambulance!"

 

"Hold on," Mary said, reaching out to press two fingers to Castiel's throat, relaxing when she found a strong, steady pulse. "I think he's just fainted. We'll get him upstairs and on the couch and see if we can wake him up. If it takes us more than five minutes, then yes, we'll call an ambulance."

 

Dean caught Castiel's phone, just as it started to fall out of his pocket. "What the hell happened, Sam? Was that Crowley I saw? What the hell was the douchebag doing here? How did he get in?"

 

Sam shook his head and kept his arms wrapped carefully around Castiel as he carried him, getting to the couch in the office before he laid Castiel out on the cushions and slowly brushed the hair out of his face. "I don't know, I don't know, but he came and he was making threats and Castiel recorded him-"

 

"He what?" Mary asked, spinning to look at Castiel's phone. "Dean, give me his phone."

 

Dean handed the phone over to his Mom. "I'm going to go down and get some ice, see if we can't use the cold to wake him up."

 

Mary nodded and flipped the phone open, scrolling through the latest recordings. She closed her eyes and listened, glancing at Sam as the threats from Crowley played between them. "Sam, is this what happened?"

 

Sam nodded and bit down on his lip. "Fuck, I didn't think that the bastard would outright threaten him like that, I mean, why say those things when you're risking getting caught?"

 

Mary shook her head and replayed the recording again. "I don't know. I'm not sure. I need to call Gabriel though, and I need to do it this second. Let me know if Castiel doesn't wake up," she directed, pointing to him.

 

Sam swallowed and looked back down to Castiel, who was looking far too pale again. It was almost exactly how Castiel had looked when they had first met. "Cas, come on, you're scaring me, you've gotta wake up."

 

Castiel didn't make a sound, even when Dean rushed into the room a few seconds later with a bag of ice, already melting from his run through the rink. Sam looked up at Dean and was about to ask exactly what they were going to do with a bag of ice when Dean put it on Castiel's hand.

 

Castiel jolted upright, his head spinning wildly. "Crowley, where is he, he's going to hurt Sam, we have to stop him-"

 

"Woah, woah, woah," Sam said, pressing a hand to Castiel's chest. "I'm all right, I'm right here, and no one is going to hurt me, okay Cas?" Sam said, smiling at him, leaning in to press a kiss to his forehead. "I'm glad to see that you are okay though, you scared the shit out of me."

 

Castiel sank back down against the couch cushions and took a deep breath, curling up. "I'm so sorry that I ever brought this to your door, Sam. It's all my fault, and your family has been-"

 

"Hey," Sam interrupted, reaching out to comb fingers through Castiel's hair again. "Hey, are we going to have to have this conversation again? I mean, I will if that's what you need, but Cas, we're all doing this willingly, you're not making us do anything."

 

Sam took a deep breath and leaned in for a slow and sweet kiss. "I mean, hey, look at it this way, because of all of this stuff, you got me, and that's not a bad thing, right?"

 

Castiel shook his head, staring at Sam. "No, that is the best of things."

 

"Right," Sam said, grinning. "So, don't worry so much, okay?"

 

Castiel took another deep breath and leaned into Sam's touch, resting his head against Sam's heart, hearing the firm beating underneath. He looked up when Mary walked into the office a moment later. "Mary?"

 

"Castiel!" she said, rushing forward to grin at him. "You scared the shit out of us there. You okay?"

 

Castiel blinked and forced himself to smile at her. "I am all right. Perhaps a little bit disoriented, but absolutely all right."

 

Mary smiled and patted his shoulder. "All right, then I think we are done practicing for the day. We can go home and just review the move sets and see what we want to work on tomorrow and focus on those."

 

Castiel swallowed hard and took another deep breath, the last of the dizziness starting to subside. "Did you call my brother?"

 

"Yes," Mary said with a nod. "And he is very worried about you, as all big brothers should be when something happens to their little brother. Dean is heading back to be with him right now. He'll take care of Gabriel."

 

Castiel squinted at Mary. "You know about them?"

 

Mary chuckled and patted Castiel's arm. "I know far more about those two than they want to think about. They'll get themselves sorted eventually, I promise. Just like you and Sam figured yourselves out."

 

"Crowley," Castiel cleared his throat. "Crowley said he knew that our relationship was a farce, that it wasn't real."

 

"Then it's a good thing that you and Sam decided it _was_ real, right?" Mary said, touching Castiel on the cheek. She winked at him. "Don't worry, Castiel. We'll get everything sorted out."

 

"Should I-" Castiel paused and swallowed, reaching for the bottle of water Sam offered him a moment later. "Should I not have recorded Crowley? I thought it would be a good idea in the event that he tried to do so-"

 

Mary grinned at him, bright and wide. "Sweetheart, that was brilliant, and I think it is going to give us exactly what we need to make sure that he doesn't end up bothering you ever again."

 

Castiel smiled and leaned back into the arm of the couch, closing his eyes. "That does sound rather wonderful."

 

"I thought it might. Now, take a few minutes to rest, and then we'll head out when you are feeling well enough to do so on your own. As romantic as Sam carrying you might be, if you can manage it, you do need to walk out of here under your own power," Mary said, ruffling his hair again.

 

Castiel smiled and took a deep breath. "I'll keep that in mind, Mary, thank you," he whispered, shaking himself a little.

 

Sam settled down onto the opposite end of the couch and lifted Castiel's feet into his lap and rubbed his calf slowly, up and down. "You scared me a bit," he admitted.

 

"I scared myself," Castiel said, taking another sip of the water. "I am no fainting damsel."

 

Sam laughed and relaxed, leaning back into the couch cushions. "I don't understand why he hates you so much and has to prevent you from entering Worlds."

 

Castiel hummed and stared at the ceiling. "While I can only speculate as to the specific reasons, I do know that my level of success brought him a great deal of fame. When our, relationship was announced, people considered it almost a romance novel-esque tale."

 

Sam snorted and rolled his eyes. "No, that's us, with me and my awkward as fuck flirting."

 

Castiel chuckled and smiled at Sam, reaching out to hold his hand and giving it a slow squeeze. "Indeed, it definitely is. However, my point still stands. The media built up our relationship, both on and off the ice. When I called it quits I was not..." he cleared his throat. "Tactful about it."

 

"What, exactly, does that mean?" Sam asked, turning to look at Castiel. "I mean, I read some of the headlines that said you broke up with your coach and that you were moving on to be on your own, but I didn't dig deeper than that."

 

"Well," Castiel said, shaking his head. "I broke up with him in public, for one. He did not react, pleased."

 

"I don't think anyone is ever pleased to be breaking up, that's kinda how reactions and emotions work," Sam said, raising an eyebrow.

 

"To be hurt, to be upset, and to be a little angry is normal. Crowley? Was furious, and showed that anger for the first time ever in public. He was able to present it later as shock at my declaration, but I knew. I'd..." Castiel trailed off, looking out at the ice. "I'd seen anger like that before from him, however, in a much more private setting."

 

Sam frowned and studied Castiel, trying to parce out exactly what that meant. "Did he ever hit you, Cas?"

 

Castiel tilted his head to the side and stared at the wall beyond Sam. "Yes. Never, well, he never left any marks, but yes, he did hit me. Never over relationship things, only for failures on the ice."

 

"That's why you won't do the triple axel," Sam breathed, and then cursed himself when Castiel flinched and curled in on himself.

 

"That jump, and the failure to land in competition once does not hold pleasant memories for me," Castiel admitted. "Your mother has been most ingenious in finding ways for us to work around not having that particular jump in my arsenal."

 

Sam blew out a hard breath. "So, basically, Crowley was a grade-A asshole, you realized this, broke up with him, and he's made your life a living hell since then because his cash cow decided to wander off?"

 

Castiel chuckled and smiled at Sam. "That is a surprisingly apt summary of the situation, yes."

 

"Right," Sam said with a nod, blowing a breath of air out again. "Castiel, I have no idea how you are this level-headed, I would have put a bullet in him by now."

 

Castiel smiled and leaned back into the couch. "I do have several different coping methods that I employ," he said. "One of which is imagining his face when I win Worlds."

 

"I have to applaud your choice of coping method," Sam said with a laugh, hugging Castiel's leg as best he could. "Because that's probably one of the best I would have recommended, and I'm sure my Mom would as well."

 

Castiel grinned and closed his eyes. "I'm sure that she would."

 

"All right you two," Mary called from the doorway to the office. "You ready to get out of here?"

 

"You done plotting with Gabriel?" Sam asked, glancing over at her.

 

Mary snorted. "Not by a long shot, but he's not answering his phone. Apparently he's arguing with Dean. The good kind of arguing, the kind that we want to see."

 

Sam blinked and shook his head as he followed after her. "You are an unrepentant matchmaker."

 

"Of course, neither of my boys are married, what do you expect?" Sam snorted and rolled his eyes. "I have no idea what I expected, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

 

Castiel smiled and stood up as well, stretching. "I think that you should leave your mother alone, Sam. Gabriel has missed Dean greatly, though you would have to likely torture him to get him to admit it."

 

"Yeah, yeah," Sam grumbled, rolling his eyes. "And Dean has missed Gabriel like breathing, though he's fucked every girl and guy in the tri-state area trying to forget him."

 

Mary raised an eyebrow at her youngest son. "Sam, no need for language."

 

Castiel burst out laughing at the indignant look on Sam's face a moment later. Mary Winchester was amazing, especially in the way she handled her boys.

 

~!~

 

"So, are we going to talk about our shouting match the other day?" Dean asked Gabriel, settling into the seat beside him.

 

"Why, are you going to pay Hannah to leave me alone for twenty minutes again so we can continue shouting at each other?" Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow at Dean briefly before he turned back to his computer, keeping up the constant typing.

 

Dean huffed and threw his arms up in the air. "Fine, you want to be an asshole, fine, I will happily let you do just that, but stop throwing around the cryptic fucking comments about bedrooms and shit, my Mom is getting ideas."

 

Gabriel rolled his eyes and glared at the computer. "Your mother needs to mind her own business. You and I-"

 

Dean turned around to Gabriel, his attention snapping there a moment later. "You and I? You say that like there was a you and I."

 

"There was!" Gabriel said and then cursed himself for allowing Dean to get a rise out of him. "Until you settled me and got me straightened out. Then I decided I was done with you and needed to move on to bigger and better things."

 

"Okay, see, that's the shit we clearly need to hash out, because the last thing I remember is you dumping my ass and saying that it'd been fun, but now you needed something new!" Dean growled. The old insult still stung, even after all of these years. Especially when he had lost his friend as well as his, well, whatever Gabriel had been at the time.

 

Gabriel glared at Dean and raised an eyebrow. "So what was I supposed to say after you told me we were just a fling?"

 

Dean glared right back at Gabriel. "I never said we were a fling. You asked me what we were, while we were fucking drunk, mind you, so I don't know how you expected me to be eloquent, and then got pissed when I said I thought we were fucking around towards something."

 

"That wasn't what you said," Gabriel snapped, turning to face Dean properly, the computer in front of him forgotten. "You said that we were just fucking around, and it was great."

 

"Because it fucking was!" Dean shouted, wanting to shove Gabriel off the damn computer. "Because it was fucking awesome, and you were just as hot for it as I was, and you were rough and tumble, and you liked road head just as much as you liked giving it, and we fucked around for hours in my car, man, what did you want me to say? That I hated it?"

 

Gabriel stared at Dean, his eyes wide and hated himself for the erection he could feel straining against his pants. Dean had always been remarkably beautiful when he was angry and now was no exception, his eyes were practically glittering in his anger. He swallowed. "No, I-"

 

"No," Dean snapped, cutting Gabriel off. "No, what you did, was then, next day, while I was still hung over, was send me a fucking text message saying that things had been fun and that you were going to move on to better things."

 

Gabriel remembered that message. Remembered writing every single word of it, tears on his face. He'd been determined to make Dean hurt, at least a little bit. And it looked like he'd succeeded. "You're right, I did."

 

"So what the fuck, Gabriel?!" Dean shouted, reaching out and slamming the lid of Gabriel's laptop closed so he couldn't look back it again. "You want to tell me what the hell was going on in that head of yours? You want to tell me why, after I'm kidnapped and I show up again, you pin me to the damn wall and kiss me so hard I can barely breathe?"

 

Gabriel sucked in a hard breath and picked up his phone, twirling it between his fingers. He had messages he could answer, he could avoid Dean's question, he could let them go back to everything that they had been. Living their separate lives. Weren't things better that way? "Dean," Gabriel said, taking a deep breath. "I owe you an apology."

 

"An apology," Dean scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You owe me an apology, after my best friend decides to cut me off without a word, because something happened that he won't talk to me about. You think I want a fucking apology?!"

 

Gabriel flinched and put his phone down, staring at the computer, clenching his eyes shut. He couldn't look at Dean anymore. He deserved this, all of this anger and frustration. He'd hid from it for years, but now, now he was getting exactly what he deserved. He took a deep breath and turned to stare at Dean. "I don't know what you want."

 

Dean growled and grabbed Gabriel's chin, forcing golden eyes to meet his. "Let me make it explicitly fucking clear what I want then," he said, annunciating each word. "I want you, to tell me what the fuck happened that night. To make you stop wanting to talk to me, see me, fuck me, or do anything with me, and then leave without another fucking word."

 

Gabriel took a deep breath and he stared at Dean. He did owe Dean that honesty, but admitting what he wanted, when Dean had so clearly wanted something else, what good was it going to do now? "I don't know-"

 

"No!" Dean snarled. "Tell me what happened, Gabriel!"

 

Gabriel stared at Dean, almost dazed in the face of Dean's anger. Hannah had to have come back by now and seen them arguing and made herself scarce. He and Dean were too close now, he could see the freckles and how many more there were on Dean's cheeks now since he had last seen him. "I _wanted_ you," he whispered.

 

"You wanted me," Dean repeated, incredulous. "I need more than that, Gabriel, I fucking figured out that you wanted me when we started sleeping together!"

 

Gabriel swallowed hard and forced himself to stare at Dean's freckles. He used to count them when Dean was asleep, joking about how every time he kissed them, a few more appeared, since angel kisses turned to freckles. "I mean I wanted you as more than a fuckbuddy, Dean," Gabriel said.

 

"We were more than fuckbuddies!" Dean growled. "We were best friends, and then you decided to completely cut me off!" Dean took a deep breath and forced himself to say the next few words. "Do you know how much that hurt, Gabriel?"

 

"What?" Gabriel asked, his eyes snapping back to Dean's.

 

"I always thought we'd stop screwing around eventually, but it'd be because you would find someone so much better than me, someone who would treat you, you know, the way you deserved," Dean said with a shrug. "I didn't think I'd also lose my best friend."

 

Gabriel stared at Dean in shock, taking a deep breath. "You-"

 

"Me," Dean said, forcing a smile on his face. "I never wanted to put a label to it, because I wanted you to be able to walk away you fucking idiot. I knew you were meant for bigger and better things, just like I knew that I was going to end up back here."

 

Gabriel was pretty positive he had just stepped into an alternate reality where nothing made sense and everything he had thought about the last five years was suddenly not just wrong, it was fucked up wrong, and here he was, with Dean in front of him. Explaining just how badly he'd fucked up.

 

"Dean," Gabriel said, closing his eyes. "You monumental fucking idiot."

 

"I think we both earned that," Dean said, reaching out to touch Gabriel's knee for a second. "But look, I just wanted you to be fucking clear so we can stop fighting. I'm sick of fighting with you. I fucking miss you, man."

 

Gabriel tilted his head to the side and stared at Dean. Dean had grown up, and was even more gorgeous than before. There was no way he'd be interested in anything now, but, the temptation was there. "The rest of senior year was miserable without you," Gabriel admitted.

 

Dean laughed and pushed his fingers through his hair. "I fucking bet it was, you know that I was the only reason you came to school anyways."

 

"Yeah," Gabriel agreed, staring at Dean. His mind drifted back to the kiss from the other day, desperately pinning Dean to the door, having to confirm that he was safe, to be able to touch him with his own hands. He'd needed it more than anything else in the world. He took a deep breath. "I fucking miss you too, by the way."

 

Dean shook his head and turned to grin at Gabriel. "You've got the high life in New York. Cas was telling me about it. The whole world at your beck and call, just like you said you'd get to when we were in college."

 

"You always called me a high and mighty asshole when I said shit like that," Gabriel said, fondness making him smile. "I needed you to bring me down to earth from time to time."

 

Dean rolled his eyes. "Like that surprises you? I mean, come on, I was the only reason half of your pranks even fucking worked in school."

 

"Dean?" Gabriel asked, watching as the other man walked towards the basement door.

 

"Yeah?" Dean asked, turning to look over his shoulder.

 

"I wanted more," Gabriel admitted, his voice quiet. "I wanted more than fuckbuddies. I wanted something I thought you weren't willing to give. And it hurt, knowing that you didn't want the same. So I cut you off before I could be hurt even more."

 

Dean sighed and tugged on his hair, turning around to face Gabriel, striding towards where he was standing in the middle of the room. "And what, exactly, was that?"

 

"I wanted this," Gabriel said, pressing a hand to Dean's heart, feeling it beat hard and insistent against his hand. Dean froze in front of him and Gabriel gave a small smile. " _Right_. This was why I had to cut myself off from you. Because if I didn't, I was going to end up too deep."

 

Gabriel laughed, shaking his head, pulling his hand back. "Little did I know, I was already in too deep and cutting you out was cutting out a fucking piece of me and leaving it laying on the floor."

 

"Fucking hell Gabriel," Dean growled, reaching out and touching Gabriel's arm, pulling Gabriel closer. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me?"

 

Gabriel shrugged and shook his head. "I couldn't. I mean. I thought you just wanted something uncomplicated, someone to fuck around with. I fit the bill, and when I realized what I wanted...well. I didn't want to tie you down."

 

Dean gave a frustrated sigh and tightened his fingers on Gabriel's arm and pulled him closer until they were standing only a few inches apart. "You fucking stubborn asshole."

 

"Dean, wait," Gabriel said, moving half a step back and shaking his head. "I can't, this isn't a good idea. We're already living totally separate lives and-"

 

"If you think," Dean breathed, advancing on Gabriel again, until Gabriel was pinned back against the wall behind the computer. "That I am letting you go again, Gabriel Milton, then you are very, very, _very_ mistaken."

 

Gabriel choked on his next words because then Dean was kissing him and fuck, it was even better than the memories and what he had imagined for years. He wrapped his arms around Dean's shoulders and pulled him in closer, spreading his legs and wrapping them around Dean's waist.

 

He held on as tight as he could as Dean kissed him so hard he couldn't breathe, but every time they parted for air, it was only for the smallest of seconds before they were kissing again.

 

Dean kissed him hard enough to make him remember what he used to love about kissing Dean and Gabriel smiled, reaching up and into Dean's hair, giving it a small tug to make Dean moan into his mouth. Gabriel laughed and sucked hard on Dean's lower lip, shivering when Dean immediately bucked his hips, grinding into him, nice and hard.

 

"Good to see some things never change," Gabriel quipped, pulling back just enough to stare at Dean again.

 

Dean huffed out a laugh and leaned in for another kiss, this one a little slower and a little deeper. "You think you can still keep up with me?"

 

"Know I can," Gabriel challenged, pulling Dean in for another kiss, letting himself get completely swept away into that touch.

 

Gabriel pulled back when his phone started to ring again, this time loudly, he looked at Dean. "That's your Mom. That one I actually do need to answer," he whispered.

 

"She's on her way home," Dean said, turning Gabriel's face back to him. "You'll see her in a second," he added, leaning in for another kiss.

 

Gabriel melted, wrapping his arms tightly around Dean's shoulders and squeezing. He couldn't move to Minnesota, he couldn't, but maybe, maybe Dean could come to New York sometimes...?

 

Dean pulled back and gave a frustrated groan. "I swear you are fucking worse than Sam sometimes. "What the hell are you thinking about so hard that it has you distracted?"

 

"I can't live in Minnesota, Dean," Gabriel blurted, staring at him. "I, I, I'm sorry, I mean, I can't move my offices, not right away, but I can-"

 

"Hey," Dean interrupted, pressing a finger to Gabriel's lips. "Stop thinking so many steps ahead. Let's just enjoy this and get both of our brothers through this clusterfuck, and then through Worlds. Then we can figure us out."

 

Gabriel exhaled hard. "There's an us?"

 

Dean grinned, bright and wide. "There had better be an us after a kiss like that. It's not like you to tease without putting out," he added, rocking his hips forward to rub both of their dicks together, getting a low groan out of each of them.

 

"Right," Gabriel panted, chuckling a little bit. "Fuck, I might have forgotten what a horn dog you can be."

 

"Don't worry, I'll have fun reminding you," Dean said, his voice bright as he leaned in to kiss Gabriel.

 

Gabriel laughed and let himself be swept away into the kiss. Well, at least he had something, and they could talk about what existed beyond something as soon as they got everything they were dealing with sorted.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY LOOK, DEBRIEL BACKGROUND THAT I'VE BEEN PROMISING.


	19. Chapter 19

 

 

When Mary came down the stairs with Sam and Castiel fifteen minutes later, the basement was quiet, Dean screwing around on his phone and Gabriel typing away easily at the computer. Something was different. She glanced between both of them and took note of the swollen lips. Well, something had definitely happened.

 

"Boys," she called. "We have a situation here. Gabriel, you already know most of it, so this is going to accelerate our plans."

 

Dean perked up, putting his phone down a minute later. "Are we finally doing something about the fuckwad?"

 

"Yes," Mary said, turning to look at Dean, and then to Sam. "And Sam is going to be the bait."

 

Sam groaned. "Why did I know you were going to say that?"

 

Castiel tensed up and frowned at Mary. "I do not like the idea of you using Sam to catch, whoever, or whatever is responsible for what is going on here."

 

"Believe me," Mary said. "I don't either. In fact, I hate the idea. However, if they can't get to the rink, the only other person who could have enough of an impact on you to make sure that you don't enter Worlds is either myself, or Sam."

 

"So why is it Sam?" Castiel asked, then immediately felt guilty. "I'm sorry Mary, I shouldn't question your decisions."

 

"Sam is picked over me," Mary said with a smile, walking over to Castiel. "Because, as much of a hellcat as I can be, I've got nothing on a guy who is six foot, five inches, built like a brick shithouse, and angry."

 

Castiel laughed, even though he didn't want to, and caught sight of Sam grinning at him. "I suppose that is a valid point. Sam is very well-built."

 

Sam snorted and rolled his eyes. "Right, right, so I get to be the bait. What's the trap that we're setting?"

 

Mary looked over to Gabriel and raised an eyebrow. "Ready to bring them up to speed?"

 

Gabriel nodded and took a deep breath. "All right, kiddos, here goes."

 

~!~

 

Castiel frowned at Sam as he finished stripping down before pulling on his sleep pants.

 

"I don't like the idea of you being bait, Sam, even if we have a plan to get you back," Castiel said, chewing on his lower lip.

 

Sam shrugged and smiled at Castiel. "The alternative is we wait for them to do something else that might involve you."

 

Castiel frowned and glared at Sam. "What if something happens to you? Sam, I'll never forgive myself if something happens to you that I could have prevented and-"

 

"Hey," Sam said, dropping his shirt and walking towards Castiel. "Come here."

 

Castiel huffed and allowed Sam to tug him closer and into the circle of his arms. He rested his head on Sam's bare chest and took a deep breath, clenching a little bit at his bare skin. "Sam, what if something happens?"

 

"Then we deal with it when it does," Sam whispered. "But Cas, you have to know that I'm looking at this the same way. The only other alternative would be for me to let you be bait."

 

"That seems like a better option," Castiel said huffing against Sam's skin.

 

"To you it does, sure. But not me, and not Mom," Sam said, kissing the top of Castiel's head. "I'll be okay, I promise. It's in their best interest to make sure I am alive enough to cause you lots of anguish."

 

"Yes, well," Castiel growled in annoyance. "It's working."

 

Sam laughed and picked Castiel up easily and carried him over to the bed. "We don't even know if they are going to take the bait, so there's no point in worrying about it until we know more about the situation," he said, curling up to Castiel.

 

Castiel glared at Sam and wrapped an arm around his shoulders and hugged him close. "Just allow me to worry about you, since it seems that this rather stupid and asinine plan is all of your making."

 

Sam grinned and pressed a kiss to Castiel's forehead. "Yes, the plan is definitely of my making, and I would be sorry, but I am absolutely not."

 

Castiel rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around Sam's waist. After a moment of quiet breathing between them both, he dropped his hand lower and squeezed a handful of Sam's ass.

 

Sam rumbled out a small groan and tightened his arm around Castiel. "You trying to tempt me, there, Cas?" he asked, pulling back enough to stare at the other man. Bright blue eyes blinked at him, semi-innocently and Sam groaned, leaning in for a kiss. "Dammit, Cas."

 

Castiel chuckled and rolled his eyes, leaning in for another kiss. "So sue me, I want to distract you." He gave another squeeze.

 

Sam reached out and dropped his hand to Castiel's ass and returned the same squeeze, smirking when Castiel gasped against his shoulder. "Don't forget, I am more than willing to return the favor for however much you tease me."

 

Castiel pulled his hand away and shifted back a few feet, staring at Sam. "Move your arm," he ordered.

 

Sam raised an eyebrow and lifted his arm off of Castiel. He was surprised when Cas then tugged his shirt off and left it on the side of the bed. "Well, well, now you're going for visually tempting just as much as you are being handsy."

 

"I'm not going to be able to sleep," Castiel grumbled, leaning in for another kiss. "Unless someone tries to wear me out. So I suggest, Sam Winchester, that you get to that part."

 

Sam laughed and raised an eyebrow at Cas. "So what happened to going slow?"

 

Castiel shrugged and pulled Sam in for another kiss by his hair, kissing him hard and deep until they were both breathing hard by the time they broke apart. "I think going slow is better suited for a situation when one of them is not planning to get kidnapped in the next few days."

 

Sam leaned in and kissed Castiel again, biting down on his lip just enough to make it swell. "Well, maybe you should punish me, since I seem to be determined to get into trouble."

 

Castiel stared at Sam for a long moment and cleared his throat. "That was terrible."

 

Sam dissolved into laughter a moment later, muffling himself into the pillow as he felt Castiel flop back onto the bed as well. He reached out and tugged Castiel against his chest, pressing a kiss to his neck. "If you still want me to tire you out, I am more than willing to do so, terrible pickup lines aside."

 

Castiel groaned a little and covered his face with his hands. "Sam, you don't understand, I think I've heard my brother _use_ that line."

 

Sam paused only for a moment. "Did it work?" He held his straight face only for a moment before dissolving completely into laughter again when Castiel glared at him.

 

Castiel’s face crumpled a little and he sighed. "Unfortunately, yes, it did work."

 

"So you know what that means," Sam teased, reaching out to trace a finger down Castiel's jaw.

 

"No, Sam," Castiel said, biting down on the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning.

 

Sam pouted. "But it did work, didn't it? Come on, admit it and I'll leave you alone." He trailed his finger up Castiel's jaw and over his lips.

 

Castiel chuckled and leaned forward, sucking the tip of Sam's finger into his mouth, nipping at the pad before sucking it all of the way into his mouth, twisting his tongue around it. Sam groaned, low and long and Castiel bobbed his head, sucking slow and hard as he pulled his mouth away. "What if I don't want you to leave me alone?"

 

"Jesus, Cas," Sam said, his voice hoarse. He reached down and quickly adjusted himself in his sleeping pants, staring at Cas again. "That was, fuck, I mean, if you want to get me riled up-"

 

"I want," Castiel said, pushing on Sam's shoulder until he was lying flat on the bed. A moment later he had Sam's sweatpants tugged down and around his thighs. "You to sit back and enjoy. Can you do that for me, Sam?"

 

Sam swallowed hard and pressed his head back to the pillow. "Cas you don't have to do anything."

 

"I am aware," Castiel said, opening the bedroom drawer and rifling through it for a moment. He frowned when he didn't see any condoms and raised an eyebrow at Sam.

 

Sam shrugged. "It's my childhood bedroom, I didn't exactly leave a stash here. Grab my wallet."

 

Castiel chuckled and picked up Sam's wallet, offering it to him a moment later. He grinned, wide and pleased when Sam offered him a condom out of it. "Thank you."

 

"Right," Sam said, letting his head fall back on the pillows. "I'm going to go back to my mind being blown that you're offering to, to, I mean, fucking-"

 

"Sam?" Castiel asked, opening the condom and sliding it down and over Sam's erection in an easy movement, stroking him. "Shut up."

 

"Okay," Sam agreed, his voice a little weak as he forced himself up on his elbows. He ignored the arched eyebrow from Castiel. "What? You're fucking gorgeous, of course I want to watch!"

 

Castiel rolled his eyes and slowly licked Sam from base to tip. He took a deep breath and sucked just the tip into his mouth, letting the weight of Sam's erection settle against his tongue. He sucked hard and listened to Sam give a muffled groan.

 

He pulled away and pressed a kiss to Sam's hip, licking and sucking at the cut of bone there. "Now, I would advise you to keep yourself quiet, as I do not want to explain myself to your mother."

 

"Of course," Sam said, his voice hoarse. He pressed his fist to his mouth when Castiel went down on him again, this time swallowing him whole. "Fucking hell," he hissed, forcing his hips down and to the mattress.

 

Castiel hummed and bobbed his head, swallowing eagerly, keeping his hands planted on Sam's hips as he swallowed him down again.

 

"Fuck, Cas, I'm not going to last long if you keep that up, fuck!" Sam swore, whispering the words into the quiet of his room. Another slow lick and a slurping noise and Sam clenched his hands tighter in the sheets and tried not to buck up and into Cas' mouth. "Cas, oh god."

 

Castiel pulled his mouth back and sucked on just the tip for a moment, shivering as Sam held himself still, clearly on the razor edge of control. He rather liked this, the ability to bring Sam down to a begging mess. He pulled himself off and licked his lips, meeting Sam's eyes. "Sam?"

 

"Yeah?" Sam asked, his voice even hoarser than before.

 

"I would like for you to hold my hair, please. But don't hold me in place. You may tug my hair," Castiel said, reaching out for Sam's hand and lifting it.

 

Sam stared at Castiel with wide eyes as he threaded his fingers through Castiel's hair and tugged, just enough for there to be a slight stinging sensation. Castiel arched underneath him, his eyes suddenly going dark and desperate. Sam gasped when Castiel leaned down and swallowed him completely to the root again, bobbing his head eagerly.

 

Castiel groaned around Sam's erection, wrapping his hand around the base and stroking in counterpoint rhythm. Sam was quietly chanting his name along with a variety of _'pleases'_ and small desperate noises. It was intoxicating to hear, and Sam was very careful with his hair, tugging and never pushing down. It made him want to make this as good as possible for Sam.

 

Planting one hand firmly on Sam's hip, Castiel held Sam's erection steady and sucked, hard, hard enough to hollow his cheeks as he pulled off. He could feel Sam swelling in his hand and then Sam was covering his mouth and crying out, his erection throbbing as he filled the condom.

 

Castiel removed his mouth a moment later and stroked Sam through the last of the aftershocks until he was a shivering mess. He licked his lips, pleased with the state that Sam seemed to be in.

 

He grabbed a few of the tissues off the nightstand and removed the condom for Sam, tying it off and leaving it there.

 

"Condom on the dresser, Cas, really?" Sam asked, slightly breathless as he grinned rather stupidly at Castiel.

 

"Unless you'd like your mother to find it in the trashcan at some point?" Castiel said, raising an eyebrow at Sam.

 

Sam imagined the look on his mother's face for a moment and shook his head. "Yeah, good call, okay, never mind," he said, rubbing his hand over his face before he looked at Cas. "Would you like a hand?"

 

Castiel raised his eyes to the ceiling and groaned. "Do you have to use such terrible jokes, Sam?"

 

"Of course I do, if they make you make faces like that," Sam said, grinning as he turned on his side. "But in all seriousness, do you want me to touch you?"

 

Castiel stretched out on the bed beside Sam and raised an eyebrow. "I would be rather disappointed if you aren't the type who reciprocates."

 

Sam snickered and leaned up to kiss Castiel, ignoring the taste of latex as he let it deepen until Castiel was panting, his hips rocking up in insistent little motions. "Don't worry. I'll take care of you, I promise."

 

Castiel nodded and groaned when Sam wrapped a hand around him through his sweatpants and squeezed. "Sam, please," he whispered, hiding his face in Sam's shoulder.

 

"I gotcha," Sam promised, tugging the waistband of Castiel's sleeping pants down. "You okay still?"

 

Castiel smiled and leaned up and kissed him. "Yes, Sam. Now please, I would like to sleep before we are due to wake up."

 

Sam chuckled and nipped at Castiel's lower lip. "Demanding."

 

"And bossy," Castiel added, raising an eyebrow at Sam. "Now, if you would please hurry up?"

 

Sam nodded and wrapped a hand around Cas, watching as he shivered with his whole body. He leaned in closer and pressed a kiss to Castiel's forehead. "One of these days, I'm going to take you back to my place, and you can be as loud as you want. I want to see how loud you get."

 

Castiel gasped and bit down on his lip to keep the groan in as Sam swiped his hand over the slit and started to stroke him in earnest.   "Sam, I need-"

 

"I know," Sam said, leaning down to kiss Castiel again, shifting a little bit so Castiel could buck easily into his hand. "There, how's that?"

 

"Stop, talking," Castiel growled, rocking his hips up and into the ring of Sam's hand. He planted his feet on the mattress and bit down another groan as Sam started to move his hand faster. "Yes, Sam, like that."

 

Sam chuckled and leaned down to rub his nose against Castiel's. "You're gorgeous like this."

 

Castiel opened his eyes and stared up at Sam. "You say that about me all of the time."

 

"Because you are, all of the time," Sam said, leaning in for another kiss, pressing Castiel into the pillows as he kissed him harder, moving his hand into every motion of Castiel's hips, jerking him until Castiel was panting into his lips, his motions getting more and more frantic.

 

"Sam, Sam, Sam," Castiel whispered, clenching his eyes shut as he moved his hips, desperate. "Please, _please_ , Sam."

 

"I gotcha," Sam promised, running his thumb over the slit again, his other hand dropping down to give a gentle squeeze to Castiel's balls. Just like that, Castiel's entire back bowed off the bed and he muffled a shout into his hand.

 

Sam stared, taking a couple of seconds too long to remember to keep moving his hand until Castiel was a shivering mess on the bed, but when he refocused on the other man, he couldn't help smiling. "You okay?"

 

Castiel nodded and tried to focus on Sam again, but it was too much effort, so he closed his eyes and relaxed back onto the bed. "Your turn to clean me up," he said, his voice low and rough.

 

Sam smiled and reached for the tissues by the bed, cleaning Castiel up a moment later before he brought them to the bathroom to hide the evidence. He crawled back into bed with Castiel a moment later and wrapped his arms around him, pressing a kiss to his temple. "How are you feeling?"

 

Castiel made a grumpy noise and yawned. "You can ask me how I am feeling later. Right this instant, I would like to rest."

 

Sam grinned and nuzzled into Castiel's hair again and let himself start to doze off. Morning was going to come too soon, but right now, he couldn't regret a single second of any of the time he had spent with Castiel. Even getting shot at.

 

 


	20. Chapter 20

 

 

When the alarm went off the next morning, even Sam glared at it. It was almost a half hour before he and Castiel normally needed to be awake, so he reset it to go off again and shook Cas just a little. "Hey, Cas, I'm going out for my run now."

 

Castiel woke up immediately and blinked up at Sam, frowning. "You're going now?"

 

"Good as time as any to establish that me going for a run is something I do in the mornings," Sam said, yawning long and wide. "I'll see you in about a half hour. Go back to sleep."

 

"Sam?" Castiel asked, his voice quiet. "You'll be careful, won't you?"

 

Sam nodded and winked at Castiel as he pulled a t-shirt on. "You bet I will. If someone wants to try to take advantage of me, they're going to find a fight they weren't expecting. I'll be okay."

 

Castiel nodded and settled into the pillow, watching as Sam left and headed down the stairs. He stared at the clock, thinking that he should try to get a little more sleep, but there was no way that he would be able to sleep with Sam out and playing live bait.

 

He sat up in bed and stared at the clock, wrapping his arms around his legs. A half hour. Sam would be back in a half hour. That would be long enough for him to run to where the blockade was and back. To let plenty of people see him running, to establish that he had a morning routine that could be taken advantage of.

 

Castiel stared at the clock until the alarm went off again a half hour later. He shut it off immediately and listened for the sounds of Sam coming back into the house. Nothing yet. He waited until five minutes before he forced himself out of bed. Sam would be back. He would. Maybe he had simply stopped to speak with the officers who were blocking off their road and had lost a few minutes and was about to walk through the door.

 

Castiel pushed himself into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He'd take his shower, and then leave and Sam would be waiting downstairs by the coffee machine, waiting for his turn in the shower. Castiel took a deep breath and forced himself to go through the motions of showering.

 

He grabbed a towel and dried himself off and changed into his workout clothing. Castiel didn't let himself stop and listen for the sound of movement in the house, he focused on getting dressed, before he gathered his things together and went downstairs.

 

Mary and Gabriel were waiting for him, grim looks on their faces.

 

Castiel dropped his bag and covered his face with his hands. He took a deep breath and tried to focus, but everything was starting to spin all over again. Someone was holding onto him, ordering him to sit down and he weakly followed their orders, sipping the water that was pressed into his hands a moment later.   Castiel bit down on his lip and kept the cup in front of him still. Damn Sam for fucking doing this to him.

 

Gabriel took a deep breath and looked to Mary. "He can't skate today."

 

"He has to," Mary said, looking at Gabriel. "He has to, for the rest of our plan to work, Gabriel."

 

Castiel choked on a sob and pressed his hands to his face. "Mary, what if something happens to him?"

 

Mary turned and knelt down in front of Castiel. "Hey, hey, don't talk like that. Sam is going to be fine. He did this to protect you. Now, you remember the plan, right?"

 

Castiel took a deep breath and nodded, trying to focus. "I do, but Mary-"

 

"Stop that right now," Mary ordered, her voice firm. "The best thing that you can do to help Sam right now is pretend. You have to pretend with all of your heart and soul Castiel."

 

Castiel frowned at her and then looked at Gabriel. "What if I can't do it?"

 

"You can," Gabriel said, kneeling down in front of Castiel as well. "Cas, look at me. I've seen the way that you look at Sam. You would move heaven and earth for him, wouldn't you?"

 

Castiel nodded. "Yes, of course I would."

 

"Then you need to do this," Gabriel said, reaching out and squeezing Castiel's knee. "You need to pretend like there is nothing wrong. You need to look at the cameras and smile, and you have to do it in a little while."

 

"Gabriel-"

 

"No," Gabriel interrupted, his voice firm. "This is the best thing that you could possibly do to help Sam. They are going to expect you to stay here, to even spend the day crying. They know that you know he is missing. The last possible thing they will expect you to do is to get to that gym and put a practice in."

 

Castiel took a deep breath and nodded, staring at Gabriel. "How do you know Sam is going to be safe?"

 

"I don't," Gabriel said, holding up a hand to interrupt Mary. "But I know right now, he means far more to you alive than dead, and that is how the kidnappers are going to keep him until they decide what to do with him. In the meantime, that gives us a chance to track him down."

 

Dean came into the kitchen behind Gabriel along with Hannah, both of them dressed in camouflage. "We're going tracking as soon as we go to the rink," he said, winking at Castiel. "Sam knows how to leave a trail, and I know exactly where he ran. I'll know what to look for. We'll find him, I promise."

 

Castiel stared down at his hands again, clenching them tightly together to prevent the shaking. "Mary, what if this doesn't lead back to him? What if it's all-"

 

"Then we go to plan B," Gabriel said, glancing over at Mary. "We release the recording of yours, and completely destroy Crowley's image. We go to the police with it, and then we leak it, purposefully. No one will ever dare to hold him up and against your character again. In fact, they'll applaud you for leaving him," he added.

 

"And we get Sam back," Mary re-iterated, squeezing Castiel's knee. "But you have to do what you can to help him. Can you do that, Castiel?"

 

Castiel stared at each of them and then back to Mary. "I will do my absolute best."

 

Mary grinned at him, bright and wide. "Good. Now, are you ready to go, or do you want a few minutes?"

 

"A few minutes, and a cup of coffee," Castiel said, looking to the pot on the counter. "Maybe two cups."

 

"One cup," Mary argued, starting the machine. "We don't want you jittery in front of everyone."

 

Castiel nodded again and took the cup as soon as it was offered to him and sipped it, the burn down his throat helping him to focus. "Dean?"

 

"Yeah?" Dean asked, turning to Castiel.

 

"Get Sam back," Castiel said, staring at him hard. " _Please_."

 

"Don't worry," Dean said, reaching out and ruffling Castiel's hair, ignoring the indignant look that got him. "I'll drag him back, kicking and screaming, I'm sure."

 

Castiel chuckled and shook his head. "Just bring him back safe. That's all I want."

 

"Can do," Dean said, winking at him. "Hell, if we're lucky, we might even get to shoot something."

 

Castiel snorted and shook his head. "Again, that is far funnier when there have not been actual bullets and gunshots involved."

 

Dean hummed and tapped himself on the chin. "Yeah, I suppose that might be true, but hey. At least you know that Sam's the best shot out of any of us, so he's going to always be the person walking away from those shootings."

 

Castiel looked up at Mary and nodded at her. "I am ready to go now."

 

Mary wrapped her arms around Castiel and hugged him tight. "He's going to be all right. We are all going to be okay. I promise."

 

Castiel nodded again and took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

 

~!~

 

Sam grunted as he was thrown into a small and rickety chair. He looked around the dark, well, basement if he had to guess and rolled his eyes. Some people could be so fucking cliched. He tested the ropes on his wrist and struggled with them a little bit.

 

"I wouldn't bother trying to get out of them. We did learn that lesson with your brother. The two of you are rather resourceful," Crowley said, stepping into the small circle of light.

 

Sam rolled his eyes and stared up at him. "Oh yes, I'm sure you learned so many lessons from the few hours, if it was even that, that you had him." He grunted and bent over when Crowley's fist slammed into his solar plexus. He coughed and spit out a few drops of blood. "No wonder Cas dumped you, you hit like a fucking limp noodle."

 

This time the fist came across his cheek, fast and hard and Sam grunted, turning his face with the blow to reduce some of the impact. "Still doesn't mean I'm wrong."

 

Crowley chuckled, stretching his hand. "We'll see how much you're laughing when Castiel makes a desperate plea to return you on camera. I'm excited for it."

 

Sam flinched as bright light from a television flooded the room and he focused on it, watching his Mom's car pull up into the flood of news vans. He took a deep breath and spit out some more of the blood that had gathered in his mouth.

 

Dozens of reporters immediately jockeyed for Castiel's attention and Sam focused on him. Castiel looked pale, but determined. He fought the urge to grin when Castiel stopped outside the door and turned to face the cameras.

 

"Ah, here it comes," Crowley said, studying the cameras. "The desperate plea for your life, for us to return you-"

 

"I'm doing quite well," Castiel said, managing a small smile. "I think you can all sympathize with not getting as much sleep as you normally need in a new relationship." A few surprised chuckles broke out across the crowd. "But if you'll excuse me, I have work to get to."

 

Castiel stepped into the gym a moment later and Sam wanted to kiss him, and spin him around a thousand times over. Castiel had pulled it off. _Perfectly_. Sam glanced over at Crowley and raised an eyebrow at the clenched fists and anger he could easily see. "Something not going according to plan?"

 

This time, Sam didn't see the fist coming and his head snapped to the other side hard enough to have his head spinning a little bit. Crowley was stronger than he looked. He let his whole body go limp, pretending that he had been knocked out to avoid another hit. He got a kick to one of his thighs, but no more vicious blows.

 

"Drag him to the corner and put him there until I decide what to do with him. If Cassie wants to play things this way, then that's how we'll play them," Crowley ordered, kicking at Sam's chair again. "I want two of you guarding this room at all times, and make sure that he can't get out."

 

Sam wanted to roll his eyes, but kept up the facade in case anyone was watching him. A moment later, the basement was submerged in nothing but the light from the television. Sam glanced over to it and watched as they replayed the clip from Castiel. He grinned and started to work on the ropes again.  

 

They might not have tied Dean tight enough, but he had a few more tricks up his sleeve than Dean did. Sam grunted and twisted his wrists a little bit more, feeling the bonds start to loosen.

 

Double-jointedness did come in handy at the strangest times.

 

~!~

 

Castiel sank back against the door of the gym and tried not to suck in a sob. Mary was instantly there, wrapping him in her arms and he sagged against her. "What if Sam was watching that-"

 

"He knows the plan too," Mary soothed. "I am certain that he is so very proud of you. And that he is going to show you just how proud he is the second he gets back."

 

Dean approached the entrance again and smiled at his Mom and Castiel. "You two go ahead and do your thing. Charlie is already here and she'll be staying here with you guys while I head out with Hannah."

 

Hannah nodded and pulled her hair up and into a ponytail. "We'll find him Mrs. Winchester, I promise."

 

Mary nodded and smiled at them both. "Be safe, Dean."

 

"No problem, Mom!" he called, turning towards the door. "Oh, by the way, the feds left town, saying that they were going to continue the investigation on their own. So unless you want to call him and tell them that Sam's been taken-"

 

"Unlikely," Mary said, raising an eyebrow at her son. "So what are you suggesting?"

 

Dean shrugged. "I'd tell Jody what's going on, so she knows, and can back us up, because we're going to have to fess to it if we catch them. And we'll need someone who can, you know, actually arrest the fuckers."

 

Mary chuckled and pulled out her phone. "Good idea. Castiel, please go focus on warming up. I'll be there in a few minutes."

 

Castiel nodded and made his way to the edge of the rink, pulling his shoes off a moment later before tugging his skates on.

 

He could hear Mary talking in the background and the door shutting behind Dean as he headed back out, to find Sam. Castiel focused on the laces of his skate again and tied them.

 

~!~

 

Dean parked the car in front of their house and climbed out, looking back at Hannah. They grabbed their bags and tucked them over their shoulders easily. "All right, so my parents own about all of the land in a five or so mile radius. We're in for a little bit of a trek, no matter which way they go."

 

Hannah nodded and fitted a hat over her hair and put on some sunglasses a moment later. "Got it. So we're going to be out for a while."

 

"Maybe even all day," Dean said. "It depends on how quickly we pick up the trail."

 

"You think they won't look for us to be following them?" Hannah asked, following Dean as he started to jog down the driveway.

 

Dean shrugged. "If they're smart, they're watching us right now. I'll account for that as we go deeper into the woods," he said, glancing over his shoulder at her. "However, even if they are watching us, it's to keep an eye on the house, not on the two of us."

 

Hannah nodded and followed Dean out and into the street. Things were quiet and she took a deep breath, looking around slowly. "How do you know Sam will have left a trail?" she asked, pitching her voice lower.

 

It would be easy to hear the two of them talking if they didn't lower the volume.

 

"Because I taught the boy everything he knows and this was part of the plan we made in case he got grabbed," Dean said, pointing to the footprints beside the road. "Look, see? I can see his footprints. Heading one way, out. Nothing coming back yet, so this isn't where he was taken."

 

Hannah nodded. "That's obvious, though."

 

"You're right," Dean said, giving her a grin. "But you'd be surprised how many people ignore the obvious in view of technology."

 

"What do you mean?" she asked, breaking into another jog as Dean hurried down the road.

 

"Well, for example. Why on earth would I look at footprints if Sam was taken and put into a car. That doesn't tell me anything, right?"

 

Hannah nodded.

 

"Wrong," Dean corrected, looking at her over his shoulder. "First rule of the Winchester tracking school is that there is always evidence," he said, slowing down and then to a stop. He looked at the side of the road and crouched down. "Look. What do you see?"

 

Hannah frowned and looked at the dirt. "I see, scuff marks? A couple different pairs of boots. Looks like he got jumped by a few guys."

 

Dean snorted and nodded. "You're right. Sam let them catch him though. I have no doubt that he could have fought off all three of these guys if he wanted to."

 

"Why didn't he?" Hannah asked, looking around them again. She was starting to get the feeling that they were being watched. She rubbed the back of their neck.

 

"Because. That doesn't lead us to where we want," Dean said, turning to look at her and then behind her. "Hundred and fifty yards. Just beyond the tree line. Man in all black," he added. "Fucker knows nothing about blending in the woods, he sticks out like a sore thumb," Dean muttered.

 

He looked up at Hannah and gave her a smirk. "I know a way we can lose him, but we've got to make a straight sprint for about half a mile. Can you do that?"

 

Hannah adjusted her pack on her back and grinned at Dean. "Lead the way."

 

Dean turned and stepped straight through the tracks that he had been looking at and sprinted into the woods. Hannah was only a few feet behind him.

 

Dean could hear the crashing in the woods that indicated someone following them and Dean pushed himself harder, glad that Hannah was able to keep pace, her breath wooshing out beside him.

 

"Okay," he said, glancing at her as they ran. He raised his voice. "Take my hand and trust me, okay?"

 

Hannah grabbed his hand in a firm grip and nodded, and followed Dean as they raced towards what looked like a cliff. Dean grabbed a rope in the last few seconds and wrapped himself around Hannah as they jumped, immediately falling and then swinging into a dark room.

 

Dean gave another hard two tugs on the rope and it came free, and he yanked it into the edge of their cave as quickly as they could. He withdrew from the edge and pressed Hannah back into the darkness. "Shhh."

 

The sound of crashing leaves sounded above him and Dean looked up, watching as another shower of leaves and dirt flew past the entrance to the cave. He took a deep breath and waited for him to walk away.

 

It took several minutes, and some pacing by the edge of the cliff before Dean heard him start to walk away. He grinned and winked at Hannah, walking over towards the wall of the cave. He picked up a lantern and offered it to her, along with a poncho. "Here."

 

"Next time you could warn me," Hannah said, sucking in a deep breath as she held up the lantern.

 

Dean gave an unrepentant grin and shrugged. "I could, but where would the fun in that be?"

 

Hannah tilted her head and held up the light a little higher, illuminating the back of the caves. "What are these?"

 

"Sam and I never quite figured it out," Dean said with a shrug. "We've found our fair share of arrowheads around here, and in these caves, so we figure it had something to do with the Indians that lived here."

 

Hannah nodded. "And they're not inhabited?"

 

Dean chuckled. "You'll see some bats, and maybe a few rodents, but if you're worried about things like bear, nah. None of them can fit in the other entrance, and they certainly can't get in the way we just came."

 

He turned on his own lantern and held it up, wrapping the poncho around his gear. "The poncho is advised, it can get a bit wet and drippy in here."

 

"Where do the caves come out?" Hannah asked.

 

Dean stretched and started to lead the way. "Exactly where we're going."

 

Hannah tilted her head and stared at him.

 

Dean laughed and shook his head. "Just trust me, okay? I know where they took Sam. Well, at least ninety percent sure. There's only one place around here that really makes sense, since there's no way that they could have gone back through the blockade, which means they went down our road further."

 

"I still do not see-"

 

"There's not many places to go past there that isn't straight wilderness. Gabriel told you I grew up in these woods, right?" Dean asked.

 

"Yes," Hannah said.

 

"There's several old and abandoned hunting cabins not that far out from where the other end of this tunnel is. I'd bet good money that's where they're keeping Sam, because no one would notice them there, and it'd let them keep a good eye on us. And it's the only place they _could_ have gone, where Sam wouldn't have followed them to the other day," Dean said, starting to walk.

 

"Why wouldn't Sam have followed them back to the cabins?" Hannah asked, holding up the lantern a little bit higher as they walked into the caves.

 

"Because he'd know that he would be at a disadvantage there and it wouldn't make sense for him to be outgunned and outnumbered. He's the smart one of the family, he definitely knows better than that," Dean said, keeping up a jog as they went further in.

 

Hannah nodded and followed Dean closely, their lanterns swinging with their pace. "Is there any reason in particular that we are jogging?"

 

Dean nodded and took a second to answer. "Because if we don't, he might beat us back and get the chance to warn the others, and right now that is the last thing that we want. We have the element of surprise, and if we want to get Sam back, that's what we're going to need."

 

"Remind me again why we aren't letting the FBI handle this?" Hannah asked, pushing her hair back and off her face.

 

"You want to deal with those pencil-pushing idiots? No fucking thank you," Dean grumbled, rolling his eyes and adjusting the back on his back. "Besides. We need to catch Crowley in the act, and after the stunt that Castiel was planning on pulling in response to Sam's disappearance is going to accelerate whatever plans that he had in the first place. We need to beat him to finishing whatever those are."

 

Hannah just grunted in response and tried to run a little bit faster to keep up with Dean. "Well, at least I'm not sitting in front of a computer, staring at news headlines," she said, focusing on the tunnel in front of her.

 

 

 


	21. Chapter 21

 

"Castiel, you need to focus," Mary said, shaking her head as Castiel went by her, after wobbling hard out of the jump.

 

Castiel sighed and let himself slide to a stop, crouching down on the ice, wrapping his arms around his knees. He wanted to believe that Sam was going to be all right, that he was going to be safe and there was nothing to worry about, but he knew Crowley, knew what he was capable of, and to know that he had Sam and wasn't likely to let him go any time soon...

 

"Castiel," Mary said, kneeling down beside him. "You cannot continue to let this eat you alive. Sam made the decision that he did to protect you and he would do it again, a hundred times over."

 

"I'm not worth that," Castiel growled, shaking his head as he glared at the ice. "I'm not worth any of this. You keep telling me otherwise, you keep insisting on it, even, and yet, I can tell you, without a doubt, that I am not worth it!"

 

Mary took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around Castiel's shoulders. "Tell me about your parents, Castiel."

 

Castiel blinked against her shoulder and sighed, closing his eyes. "You've heard enough of my sob stories already, I'm certain that you don't need another."

 

"You'd be surprised," Mary said. "I care about you, and I want to know about the people that raised both you and Gabriel. I am certain that they were interesting people."

 

Castiel hummed and stared at the ice. "Interesting people is right, and they certainly are. What they are not, is good parents," he said, frowning down at the ice. "It is bad of me to say that, I shouldn't."

 

Mary smiled and shook her head. "You may say whatever you want about them, I promise you, as a parent who had two very rebellious sons, I have heard just about everything you could say of a person," she said, smiling a little bit more widely at Castiel.

 

"At least you were there to rebel against," Castiel said, his tone bitter as he continued to frown at the ice. He stood up and pushed off, sailing a few feet further. "My parents are interested in being interesting. In being known. My eldest brother is a lawyer, who I am certain will one day run for office. My father is very proud."

 

Mary tilted her head and watched as Castiel started to skate a low circle around the rink, his posture clearly frustrated with everything that was going on. "And you? Gabriel?"

 

"We are the black sheep of the family, though Gabriel is, far more than myself. At least I have made a name for myself in the figure skating world," Castiel said, stretching his arms out as he bent into a low pose. "I have earned a spot on the Olympic team, and medaled. While it wasn't gold, the only thing they would accept, it was something. Far better than Gabriel."

 

"Why is that?" Mary asked.

 

Castiel chuckled. "Gabriel went to a state university. Gabriel took his inheritance, has invested it, and has since ceased caring about it at all. He gives himself enough to live on for a monthly basis and then spends the rest of his time doing his job, one that he says he loves. He works for me, and I pay him, but he has never accepted a single dollar of my money."

 

Mary parsed through that sentence for a moment and tilted her head, looking at Castiel. "You pay him and yet he doesn't accept any money from you?"

 

Castiel nodded, biting down on his lip. "I'm the only member of the family that Gabriel can tolerate, or so he says," he said with a shrug. "My payment to him has always been small things. Dinners together. Talking about someone he found attractive. When I decided to leave Crowley..." he trailed off and chuckled. "Gabriel was the first to congratulate me. We started planning it right then and there."

 

"He supports you, no matter what," Mary said, studying Castiel.

 

"He does," Castiel agreed. "I am terrified that one day he will consider me no longer worth it, and with everything that has happened, with all of the time and effort he has had to put in, that is a very real concern." He shrugged and stopped in front of Mary. "Would you keep working for a client who pays you nothing and yet puts ridiculous demands on your time?"

 

Mary smiled. "If that person were a sibling of mine, then yes, I believe I would."

 

Castiel stopped and stared at her, tilting his head for a moment. "You would?"

 

Mary nodded and stood up as well, skating towards him. "Yes, I would. If that was what one of my family members needed, then yes, that is what I would do. That's what family does for each other, Castiel. That's how it works."

 

"How do you-" Castiel frowned and cut himself off, twisting and jumping easily into a single axel.

 

"How do I, what, Castiel?" Mary asked, looking over at him as he continued to skate across the ice. "Ask the question that you have, you know I don't mind them."

 

"How do you not find it exhausting, supporting your family like that? Wouldn't you tire of it, eventually?" Castiel asked.

 

Mary came to a stop in front of Castiel and forced him to stop as well. "I believe that I would, yes, but that is only if I was putting things into someone for years with nothing back. Gabriel is putting the effort in with you, Castiel, because he gets something back. You don't censure him, do you?"

 

Castiel blinked in surprise. "No, of course not, he's brilliant at what he does, I make sure to say that regularly, especially with everything that has happened."

 

"You don't tell him that he should be doing something else with his life and focusing on a career that has more monetary value, do you?" Mary asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

Castiel shook his head. "No, never."

 

She moved forward the last few feet and cradled Castiel's face in her hands. "Then what he gets from you, dear Castiel, is the support and love of a brother that every single brother should know. Our siblings and family should push us, because that is how we grow, but we should never be stifled because of them."

 

"Speaking from experience?" Castiel asked, smiling at her.

 

"Wherever would you get that idea?" Mary asked with a laugh, winking at Castiel as she spun in a slow circle for him. "My boys are very different people, and though they have fought, both literally and not-so-literally, there has never been a time where they did not unconditionally support each other."

 

"I've noticed," Castiel said, thinking back to the way that Sam and Dean bantered, both of them easily insulting the other before changing topics quickly enough to make his head spin.

 

Mary chuckled. "Oh trust me, when and if they fight? Those two will out and out brawl. I've had to kick them to the back yard more than once to get in a proper fist fight."

 

"Didn't they get hurt?"

 

"Of course," Mary said, laughing outright. "I've had to make more ice packs for bruised junk than I want to think about. They've given each other black eyes, split lips, shouted, screamed at each other, but after it's all said and done, they walk in, grinning as I patch them up."

 

Castiel smiled. "I wish that I had been given that opportunity with some of my siblings. There are some of them that dearly need to have a good punch to the jaw."

 

"I have no doubt of that," Mary said, wrapping her arms around Castiel in a quick hug. "Now, do you think you can get in some proper practice?"

 

Castiel took a deep breath and nodded, taking another lap around the rink. "What we were working on before?"

 

"Yes," Mary called, skating over to the radio, flipping a switch. "Artistic entrance to your second quad. Moving to the music here will be very important Castiel, because that's what is going to capture the audience and keep them with you. You have to do that."

 

Castiel nodded and started to move, swinging his hips with the beat of the music, stretching out into a crouch along the ice before bouncing up again, his whole body a symphony of movement.

 

"Better!" Mary called, grinning widely. "Much, much better, Castiel, well done! Let's try it one more time, and this time with the Quad."

 

"Yes Mary," Castiel agreed, spinning around the rink once before starting the sequence again. He pushed out of the stretches and took several long strides, pressing himself hard before laughing into the air and landing the quad, his leg swinging out behind him for counter balance.

 

"Excellent!"

 

~!~

 

Sam had already managed to wiggle the way out of one of the ropes around his wrist and was well on to working his way through the second when footsteps started tromping down the stairs. He quickly looped the rope around his wrist again and held it tight, pretending that it was still in place. Crowley appeared in front of him a few seconds later and he managed a bland smile.

 

"Well hello Crowley, it's been simply ages. Come to dirty your hands again?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow at the bruised knuckles that he could see Crowley sporting. Clearly, he wasn't the only one getting some punches from the man today. _Good_. More evidence left would make it even easier to catch him.

 

"I want to know what you are planning," Crowley said, eyeing Sam. "Clearly there is some sort of plan going on between you. Castiel has to know that you're gone by now. What is your plan?"

 

Sam laughed and threw his head back, shaking his head. "Crowley, we have no plan, come on now."

 

"I don't believe that for a second," Crowley snarled, grabbing Sam's shirt and pulling out a knife, dragging it closer to make sure that Sam got a good look at it. "Now, you tell me, or-"

 

"Or you'll use your very vicious envelope opener on me?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow. "You really want to try to keep an open wound clean here? Or, if you're boring and want to slit my throat, do you really want the full-tilt FBI investigation?"

 

Crowley scoffed. "I would never make things that easy for you," he said, dragging the blade down Sam's cheek. "And you may be trying to fool me, but I know how scared you are."

 

"Yep, definitely terrified," Sam drawled, raising an eyebrow at him. "What, did you pay off the feds for them to clear out of here so quickly, or is that just something you do on weekends and not on the rest of the year?"

 

Crowley snarled and Sam buckled over the fist that went straight into his ribs. He winced and coughed a little as Crowley pulled away again and kept working at getting his other hand undone. Almost there. "Okay, so, on a more serious note, what is the deal with fucking with Cas?"

 

Crowley rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, let's tell you every detail of my plan, so, if, in the event that you get free, you can tell it to the authorities. This isn't the movies Sam Winchester."

 

Sam snorted. "Well, as happy as I am to see that you aren't conforming to stereotypes, you still haven't told me what the hell you are doing down here other than boring me with shit-tastic banter."

 

"I'll teach you some respect," Crowley growled, his fist snapping out to plant into Sam's face again. "Or maybe I'll get one of the others in here to teach it for me."

 

Sam shrugged and laughed. "They can't possibly hit weaker than you, so sure, why the hell not, I'd love some variety. Gotta make sure both sides of my face end up shattered, after all."

 

"You'll pay for that," Crowley growled, staring down at Sam. "I'll make you and Castiel pay."

 

"Seriously," Sam called, watching Crowley walk away. "Why the fuck do you even care? So he dumped you. Why this fucking vendetta against him?"

 

Crowley scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You are implying that I would allow such emotions to alter my judgment. You are sadly mistaken in that impression."

 

Sam huffed and sank down into the chair again as Crowley stomped up the stairs. Two more sets of footsteps immediately started descending the stairs and Sam grinned up at both of them. "Oh look! Playmates!"

 

His other hand finally slid free of the ropes a moment later and Sam bent over the second the next fist hit him, curling in to protect his bruised ribs. No need to tempt additional hits if he didn't have to. That would just be courting trouble.

 

A commotion upstairs had him looking up and Sam grinned when both of the men stopped punching him to look up as well. "Aaaaaand, there's the rescue party," he teased.

 

While both of them were distracted, Sam let the ropes fall and planted his fist into the jaw of another man while he was still turned away. "That is how you lay someone flat," he said, turning to the other.

 

By the time Dean and Hannah had made their way downstairs, Sam was cheerfully tying up the two bastards who had been using him as a human punching bag. He turned to the others and offered the rest of his rope. "Need to tie anyone else up until Jody and her crew get here?"

 

Dean dropped his gun and gave a relieved sigh. "Oh thank fuck," he muttered, striding forward to wrap his arms around Sam, squeezing him tight.

 

Sam laughed and hugged Dean back just as tight, pulling away after a long minute. "How boring are these fucks? Doing exactly what we thought they would?"

 

"Nothing is ever this easy," Hannah said, looking around the house. "It was too easy to subdue all of them, and there's no sign of Crowley."

 

Sam frowned and looked upstairs. "No? He was here only a few minutes ago!"

 

Dean and Hannah shared a look. Sam didn't like what that look was implying. "Guys? Clue me in?"

 

"There were fresh car tracks, leading away from the cabin, but we heard voices inside and assumed they were from earlier today, when they had grabbed you," Dean said, looking Sam over. "How are you doing?"

 

"Got some bruised ribs and probably a bruised jaw, but other than that, I'm going to be just fine," Sam said, rubbing at his jaw. "I'm certainly going to look less pretty tomorrow, I hope that Castiel still loves me in the morning."

 

Dean rolled his eyes and offered Sam his gun. "Here, we're going to need this. I have a feeling that things aren't over yet. Not until Crowley is caught."

 

"Unfortunately," Hannah said. "I agree. Now, we need to get back to town and we need to do it quickly. You two know the quickest way back from where we are, so lead the way."

 

Sam pushed his hand out of his hair. "Oh yes, after being kidnapped, exactly what I wanted was a five mile run through the woods. _Excellent_."

 

"Quit your bitching, unless you'd like to stay here with the motley crew until Jody shows up?" Dean offered, raising an eyebrow.

 

"No, but someone should," Hannah cut in, looking between them both. "Now, you two need to go find Castiel and make sure he's all right."

 

Dean patted his thigh for his phone and cursed. "Dammit, I forgot, the bastard took my phone the other day and I left my new one at the house."

 

Sam shrugged. "I was frisked as soon as I got here, wallet and phone are gone."

 

"Right," Dean said, nodding to Sam. "Hannah, you call Jody, and then wait here. We'll head back, and then figure out what we need to catch Crowley. He's not going to take the bait so easily next time."

 

Sam nodded and followed Dean out the door. He took a deep breath, ignoring the twinge that his ribs made in response and focused on the road in front of him. He had some running to do.

 

 

 


	22. Chapter 22

 

Castiel frowned at his phone, but smiled, waving to Mary. "I think we are done with practice," he said, holding out his phone. "Dean just texted me, saying that they've found Sam and they're heading back to Sam's, since it's closer."

 

Mary nodded and exhaled, pushing her fingers through her hair. "All right, what does he want to do?"

 

Castiel gave Mary a quick smile. "He's asking if we could all come over, if you could drop me off there, and then pick up John, and we could regroup at his place afterward?"

 

"Good plan," Mary said, smiling in approval. "Crowley is probably watching my house, they won't expect us to go to Sam's. We'll need to gather a few things from our place, but we can meet you there for dinner."

 

Castiel nodded and pushed his fingers through his hair. "I'm going to go take a shower and then we can head there?"

 

Mary nodded, smiling. "My car is still here, so yes, I can drive you over there and drop you off before I head over to see John. I know he's still cleaning up the mess from the attempted arson, so he could probably use another hand helping with the cleanup."

 

Castiel nodded and focused on getting his skates untied before hurrying to get changed. Sam was safe and sound, and now all he had to do was get to his house and they would be together again. He smiled, bright and wide as he stripped and stepped under the spray. They would catch Crowley, they would figure everything out, he would win Worlds, and afterward, perhaps figure out where he was going to spend most of his downtime.

 

~!~

 

Mary smiled and pulled up in front of Sam's house. "Looks like he and Dean are in the front," she pointed to where she could see two shadows moving behind the curtains in the front room. "Probably celebrating long before they should be. I'll bring beer and pizza and then we can properly celebrate."

 

Castiel grinned at her, bright and wide, and slid out of the car, shouldering his bag as he made his way up the steps. He looked up at the steps. It was a large house, not something that he would have expected Sam to own, but he was sure that Sam would have made it his own.

 

He opened the door and looked around the hallway. He shut the door behind him and locked it, out of instinct, turning towards where he could hear the music coming from. "Sam? Dean?" he called, walking towards the living room.

 

"Hello, Cassie."

 

Castiel's eyes widened in horror and he spun, racing for the door. A moment later, someone large and heavy slammed into him and he went tumbling, grunting with the impact to the hard floor.

 

Crowley knelt down in front of Castiel, watching as blue eyes angrily glared at him. "Oh yes, there's my fighter," he whispered, stroking Castiel's cheek. "I'm sorry to have to do this you know, but it had to be done. You were actually going to try to compete, despite everything, and I couldn't have that. So many other things need to happen first, you understand."

 

"So what are you going to do?" Castiel growled, glaring at Crowley. "Mary will know something is wrong soon enough!"

 

"By the time she does," Crowley said, crouching and pressing a cloth to Castiel's face, watching as his eyes went foggy and he started to sag. "You'll be dead, so it won't matter." He looked over at the furious man tied up in the corner and winked. "And so will your brother. I get rid of you both, and two pains in my side that I could do without."

 

"Oh, and before I forget," Crowley added, reaching into Castiel's pocket and pulling out his phone. He waved it in front of Gabriel's eyes. "I cannot forget to erase the evidence. I want to make sure my squeaky reputation stays exactly where it is."

 

He turned for the door and called out orders behind him. "Drug the other one too. Last thing I need is some desperate attempt to get out of the house. Then burn the whole thing with them in it," Crowley ordered, walking down the front porch, dusting some of the lint off his jacket.

 

Sam knew something was wrong the second his Mom caught sight of them walking up the gravel of the driveway. Her face went ashen and she dropped what she was carrying. "Mom?" he called. "We're fine, we just don't have our phones, don't worry!"

 

He jogged up to her and watched her immediately sprint for her car. Sam looked at Dean and frowned, both of them breaking into a run towards the car.

 

"Hurry!" Mary shouted, throwing herself into the car.

 

Sam threw himself into the car, scooting across the seat to make room for Dean. His Mom was peeling out of the driveway moments later. "Mom, what the hell is going on?!"

 

"I just left Castiel with you! About twenty five minutes ago!" Mary said, tightening her hands on the wheel as she revved the engine. She blew through the barricade that Jody had set up and the two cruisers immediately lit their lights and began following her.

 

"With me? What the fuck are you talking about? I just got back!"

 

Mary shook her head, taking a hard turn and gunning the car again. "I don't have time to explain, but we have to get to your house, now!"

 

Sam blinked in shock and looked over to his brother, but only got a confused look for his trouble. "Mom, what the fuck-"

 

"Castiel got tricked!" Mary said, taking another hard turn, forcing the car to obey as she gunned the engine again. She bit down on her lip, tasting blood as she watched the speedometer creep towards ninety. "We thought Dean called him, and said that you were at your house and we were going to meet you there!"

 

"Jesus," Dean breathed.

 

Mary nodded, swallowing hard. "And Gabriel is missing, he's not in the basement, and it looked like the entire place got trashed. I know that Gabriel wouldn't have done that, so something is-"

 

"Mom," Sam whispered, rolling down the window. Black smoke was starting to creep into the sky from the direction of his house. "Hurry," he ordered.

 

Mary took one look at the smoke and pressed the pedal the rest of the way to the floor. "Thank fuck for flat Minnesota, both of you hold on!" Mary ordered, dodging around the few cars that were getting the hell out of her way. The police cruisers were behind them, but Mary was focused on getting to Sam's house.

 

Sam shared a frantic look with Dean and clenched the armrest between them even tighter. He took a deep breath, struggling to focus as the smoke got darker and darker, starting to fill the sky as they got closer. "Please be okay," he whispered. "Please, Cas. Please be okay."

 

Dean reached out and grabbed his thigh a moment later and Sam nodded at him, grateful for the few moments of comfort, because he certainly fucking needed them right now. They weren't far from his house now. The sound of the phone ringing jolted them all and Sam grabbed it from his mother so she could focus on driving. He grunted as she took another hard turn, shifting rapidly to keep up with the speed change.

 

He flipped it open. "Hello?"

 

"What the fuck is going on?" Jody Mills shouted. "Why are two of my deputies chasing you and you're doing ninety plus down the damn highway! You're going to end up killed! I'm in the middle of the fucking forest and I don't have time for this shit!"

 

Sam choked on the words and handed the phone to Dean. The fire was close now and he could smell the smoke leaking through the air of the car. The plastic handle he was gripping was starting to crack and Sam released it, flexing his hand nervously as he stared out the window.

 

"Jody, Castiel and Gabriel have been taken. Mary dropped them off at Sam's house, but they were tricked, and now they're in that fire," Dean explained, looking up at the smoke as well. "We're on our way there-"

 

"So is the damn fire department, so don't do anything stupid!" Jody ordered, about to shout more when the line went dead. She pushed her fingers through her hair and stomped out towards her car. She looked towards Donna and pointed to the house. "Stay here, take care of things, I've got to go save the Winchesters again."

 

"Yes ma'am!"

 

Jody climbed into her car and gunned the engine, heading back the way she came. She was going to kill them, each and every single one of them, and then she was going to lock them up in solitary until they had learned their fucking lesson.

 

"Jesus," Sam whispered when he caught sight of his house. The entire upstairs was smoke, and there were hints of flame everywhere.

 

Mary hit the brakes and went skidding to a stop in front of the house. "Sam-"

 

Sam didn't stop to listen to her, throwing himself out of the car, stumbling for the front door. He could hear Dean right behind him and he covered his face with his shirt and crouched down as low as he could. "Cas!" he shouted, ducking when a bar started to splinter. Flames were crawling along the room.

 

Dean grabbed Sam's arm and spun him around, motioning to the first floor. "Check down here first!" he ordered.

 

Sam nodded and went towards the kitchen, keeping low, coughing against the smoke that was everywhere. He could hear the fire engine now, coming closer and he choked, looking up at the ceiling. He would have to pray that they weren't upstairs. Because if they were...

 

Sam jumped out of the way when the television from his bedroom suddenly fell through the ceiling and onto his kitchen table in a shower of sparks. He hit the ground hard, grunting in pain from his ribs and immediately crawled towards the hallway. Dean found him a moment later and Sam staggered to his feet, pushing Dean off him as he looked up the stairs into what looked like an inferno.

 

"We have to get out of here!" Dean shouted. "The place is falling apart, we aren't going to find them!"

 

Sam's heart jumped into his throat and he looked upstairs again, just as the staircase collapsed. He shielded his eyes and dropped into a crouch, a scream escaping a moment later. "No!! Cas!" Dean yanked him out of the way when something else fell through the ceiling, but Sam couldn't see through the tears as Dean pulled him towards the doorway. "No!"

 

It was only when he gripped the doorframe, trying to rush back inside that he caught sight of the sneakers in the living room. "Dean!" He shouted, grabbing at his brother's arm. He ran for the living room and bent down, yanking the fabric away from Gabriel's face a moment later. "Dean!" Dean was behind him, lifting Gabriel into his arms and Sam looked around frantically. A thump to his foot made him look down at Gabriel again and Sam turned to where Gabriel was trying to gesture to.

 

There, nearly shoved behind the couch, was an unconscious Castiel. Sam wanted to cry with relief. He stumbled over to Cas and picked him up into his arms, walking back over to Dean, just as the entrance of the living room door collapsed. Sam stumbled back onto the couch and then off of it again, watching fire creep up the wall behind it.

 

He looked at Dean and then to the window. They nodded at each other. He tightened his grip on Castiel and sprinted for the big, bay window that had been one of his favorite features of the house when he had bought it and jumped through, back-first, protecting Castiel as much as he possibly could. Dean flew out the window only seconds after him as the room was engulfed in flames, fire erupting over their heads.

 

A moment later, there were powerful jets of water beating the flames back and Sam staggered to his feet, stumbling towards the firetruck and ambulance that he could see. He coughed, hard, dry heaving as he tried to breathe. He waved off the firefighters and pointed towards Cas, laying him down on the ground again. Castiel looked pale, so fucking pale and Sam hung his head, coughing hard.

 

He could already see Dean putting Gabriel on a gurney and they were doing the same to Castiel, giving him oxygen. Sam forced himself to focus on the slow rise and fall of Castiel's chest. He was breathing. He was alive. He was going to be all right. Relief was enough to have him slumping forward to pass out. Maybe waving off the emergency crew hadn't been a good idea...

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *HIDES* I would be sorry, but....


	23. Chapter 23

"I have no idea what the both of you were thinking!" Mary ranted, glaring at them. "Racing in after them! You had nothing, no oxygen, no backup, nothing!" 

 

Dean rolled his eyes a little and looked over to Sam, grinning at him. "You'd almost think she's mad at us for saving both of their lives," he said, his voice hoarse and rough. 

 

"I am furious!" Mary shouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "You could have all died! All four of you! Then what would I have done?" 

 

"Ranted us into the grave, clearly," Dean said, grinning when his mother smacked his arm angrily. 

 

Sam watched, leaning back in the bed, looking over at where Castiel was still resting, his face much less pale, breathing easily and without a machine. "They said Castiel is supposed to wake up soon, yeah?" 

 

Mary switched tactics and turned to Sam, smiling. "Yes. He is supposed to wake up today. They drugged him so they could treat the severe smoke inhalation, along with the chloroform dose that he had been given. Gabriel got a much lower dose-" 

 

"That and I held my breath when they put the cloth up to me," Gabriel muttered, walking into the room a minute later, immediately walking over to Dean's bedside. "Kidnapping one oh one. Don't deeply inhale anything pressed to your face." 

 

Dean snorted and rolled his eyes, but gave Gabriel a happy smile regardless. "You're just proud of the fact that Sam saw your sneakers and that's the only reason you got out of there alive." 

 

"Yep!" Gabriel said, grinning wide. "I was fucking positive we were both toast, but if anyone was coming, if they could see me in the doorway, and I could stay awake, I could get the both of us out." 

 

"I'm just glad they didn't take you upstairs," Sam said, shuddering when he thought about it. He'd already had nightmares of Castiel being upstairs, burning alive where he couldn't get to him, and it'd only been one day since the fire. 

 

"You and me both, kiddo!" Gabriel said, offering Dean the coffee that he had smuggled in, ignoring the glare from Mary. 

 

"You are all very loud," Castiel said, his voice hoarse as he managed to open one eye. "I would like to continue sleeping." 

 

Sam sat up and then groaned when his ribs protested the movement. Loudly. "Just glad to see that you are awake, Cas." 

 

Castiel grunted and closed his eyes again. "Awake, against my will. I am now going to go back to sleep and none of you should disturb me." 

 

Sam smiled and relaxed back into the pillows, grinning at the ceiling. He turned to his Mom when she pulled two chairs between them so she and Gabriel could sit down. Sam raised an eyebrow when he realized that Gabriel and Dean were holding hands. Well. That was interesting. 

 

"So," Gabriel started, looking between all of them. "Now it's time for the million dollar question." 

 

"What the fuck do we do about Crowley?" Sam offered up, looking at Gabriel with a raised eyebrow. 

 

Gabriel snacked Sam on the arm and frowned at him. "Yes, that would be the million dollar question, since he is still free in the wind. The men Jody picked up at the house have all confessed to the arson, which isn't possible, since that took place afterward." 

 

Mary hummed and settled back in her chair. "And the only thing we have currently indicting Crowley in all of this is the word of the two of you, which won't hold up in court because of everything else." 

 

Sam sighed and leaned back against the hospital pillows. He squirmed a little. He missed his bed. He missed his bed with Castiel in it, even more. "Right. So we're still fucked, and now we're going to wait for Crowley to pull something we're not going to be able to get out of." 

 

Mary tapped her jaw. "Gabriel. Your room was completely trashed, right? Did you happen to back anything up so you could save it in case something like that happened?" 

 

Gabriel gave her a look and raised an eyebrow. "Of course I did. In multiple places, as a matter of fact." 

 

"Good," Mary said, grinning a little bit. "Does that include Crowley's threat to Castiel, since he decided to destroy Cas' phone." 

 

Gabriel's face fell and he shook his head. "No, I didn't think to have Castiel give me the file until after he had already left for the day, I planned on taking it from him as soon as he got home and everything else happened." 

 

"There's a copy on my computer," Castiel rasped. "I backed it up during practice today. It would now be stored on the 'Cloud' as they say." 

 

"Cas, I am never making fun of you for owning an iphone ever again!" Gabriel said gleefully, rubbing his hands together. "Thank you! Now we just need to get our hands on that file, give it to the feds and then point out the series of events that just don't make fucking sense." 

 

Mary nodded, rocking back into the chair a little bit. "I agree, I think that's the best way to approach it. It'll discredit Crowley-"

 

"Which still doesn't keep him from being a pain in our sides at some point now or later," Sam said, leaning closer to the edge of the bed. "Look, if we don't find a way to put him away, if he gets out on bail, you know he's going to come after Castiel and-"

 

"So maybe it's my turn to play bait," Castiel said, sitting up in his bed a little. "And what better time than right now? Honestly," he added, coughing. "I'm in the hospital, I'm not about to get up and run away with a severe case of smoke inhalation. Maybe we give him the opportunity?"

 

"No," Sam snapped. "We've been lucky so far, I don't want us to take another risk-"

 

"Sam," Mary interrupted. "We might not have a choice." 

 

Gabriel bit down on his lip and looked over at Castiel. "You have to cut the head off the snake, don't you?" 

 

Castiel nodded, looking back at Gabriel. "We do. And this is how we do it. End things. Once and for all." 

 

"What do you think he'll do?" Gabriel asked, chewing on his lip. "Things have been too messy so far. It'd have to be quiet. Simple. Something that no one could track, or at least not track easily, at that." 

 

Sam, Mary and Gabriel were quiet for a moment. 

 

Dean glanced down at the bedside where the nurse had administered some of the drugs to him not a few hours ago and he looked up at the bag still attached to Castiel's arm. "Drugs. That's how he'll do it." 

 

"An overdose is easily trackable," Gabriel argued, following Dean's gaze. 

 

"True," Dean agreed, tilting his head. "But if he covers his tracks, there's no way to know exactly who administered the dose, or how. The entire hospital is under suspicion, and imagine, Crowley gets away scot free only a few hours later." 

 

Castiel nodded and settled back into the pillows. "It does sound like something he'd try." 

 

Sam scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Cas, I can't-"

 

Castiel smiled, tilting his head to look over at Sam. "Perhaps now you understand exactly how I feel watching you go off to surrender yourself as bait yesterday." 

 

Sam winced and carefully climbed out of bed, waving his mother and Dean off, wrapping a hand around the pole with his saline drip as he shuffled over to Cas. "I'm discharging myself today, then." 

 

Castiel tilted his head at Sam and looked at how pale he was. "Your broken-"

 

"Bruised," Sam corrected, smiling. 

 

"Bruised, very well, your bruised ribs would not suggest that you do so, Sam," Castiel said, frowning. 

 

"And Crowley certainly isn't going to make a move unless he thinks that you are completely alone in the room," Sam said, clearing his throat. "I'll be in the room with you, hell, I'll even hide under your bed, I don't care what it takes," Sam said, leaning down and cupping Castiel's face in his hand. "I am not letting you out of my sight until we have the bastard caught." 

 

Mary exhaled, hard. "Fine. But this time, we bring everyone in on it. Sheriff Mills needs to know, or she really will throw my ass in jail and I'll have earned it. Castiel, are you certain that you are up for this? You'll have to keep him talking long enough to let either Sam or the police help you." 

 

Castiel nodded again, clearing his throat. "I will be. I would feel much better, however, if perhaps that bag and drip were not actually attached to my arm, so maybe we could remove it prior to this plan." 

 

Sam laughed and leaned down to kiss Castiel. "A man who prepares for all contingencies, I like it." 

 

"Not just preparing for contingencies," Mary said, smiling at Castiel. "Catching him in the act. It would be first-degree attempted murder. He's not getting out of that, ever." 

 

"Do you think that he would try that?" Sam asked, skeptical. "I mean, so far, he hasn't gotten his hands dirty..." 

 

Mary looked over to Castiel, her eyebrow raised. "You know him best Castiel, what is your opinion?" 

 

Castiel blew out a breath and settled back into the pillows. "It is hard to say. I know that he will want to come to some sort of understanding. There's something, something motivating him to do this, and maybe if I can get him to tell us-"

 

Mary shook her head. "Castiel, you nearly died once because of that man today, I'm not about to let it happen again." 

 

Castiel nodded and swallowed hard. "Then I believe that we are low on options. We should alert the federal bureau as well as the local police. They can be involved, but this will end in the next two nights, I do not care what is required." 

 

Sam squeezed Castiel's arm and nodded, blowing out a deep breath. "All right. It ends tonight. And I think we've got some planning to do, so I'm going to lay down and rest a little while longer. Dean, you good keeping-"

 

"I'll keep watch," Gabriel said, looking between them. "Sam, you and Dean rest. Sam, you are going to need your strength this evening if you are planning on staying up all night to watch over Castiel." 

 

Sam nodded in agreement and cleared his throat, focusing on the bed in front of him, climbing into it again. "All right, then I am going to take a cat nap. You three scheme and plot and wake me up when it's time for me to discharge myself." 

 

~!~

 

Hours and dozens of people (and at least two more shouting matches that he had been witness to), Castiel was ready. He exhaled hard and reminded himself that should he require it, there was a gun stuffed underneath his pillow as a last possible resort in case Sam was not able to get to him in time. 

 

He stared up at the ceiling, letting himself doze off. If Crowley didn't wake him, and attempted to do this without a word, Sam would stop him, since there was no way for him to guarantee being away through the entire evening. 

 

"Wake up little Castiel." 

 

Castiel's eyes snapped open and flew to Crowley. He was standing by the end of what had been Sam's bed earlier in the evening. "Crowley," he said, making it clear to Sam exactly who was standing in the room with him. "Why are you doing this?" 

 

"Do you know what your problem was, Castiel?" Crowley asked, advancing on Castiel's bed. "Innocence. You were far too innocent to notice the goings-on around you. All you ever thought about was skating. You lived, breathed and, if you could have, would have eaten skating as well I'm sure." 

 

"So?" Castiel said, watching as Crowley stopped at the end of his bed and picked up his chart. He tightened his hands in the blanket. "I was young and figure skating is my entire world, Crowley. Did you expect anything else from me?" 

 

Crowley hummed and tapped the chart against his palm. "No, perhaps not, and maybe that was my mistake." 

 

"A mistake you are going to clean up now?" Castiel offered, narrowing his eyes as Crowley tossed the chart to the floor with a loud clatter. 

 

"So witty, Castiel. I tried for years to make sure you never developed that sense of humor of yours. Far too weird," Crowley said, looking at his fingers again. "I’m not surprised you left me, however, that did leave you out of my control." 

 

"Your control," Castiel growled, glaring at his former coach. "What do you mean?" 

 

Crowley shrugged. "If you had only just taken care of yourself, if you hadn't picked up a new coach, and a new boyfriend to boot, I could have left you alone, Cassie. I could have watched you take Bronze, if you were lucky, and then let you fade into obscurity." 

 

"Because of you," Castiel added, his fingers now digging into the palm of his hand. "All of that, all of the rumors, all of the things you have spread about me-" 

 

Crowley laughed and walked closer to the bed. "You sound surprised Castiel. Did you really think that the world of competitive figure skating would do anything less to you? The brightest angel has now fallen, and the whole world has enjoyed your fall." 

 

"You are wrong about that," Castiel said, watching as Crowley walked closer to him. "The whole world didn't want to watch me fall. You just made me believe that they did. You tricked me." 

 

"Oh Castiel, don't be naive, it doesn't suit you!" Crowley said, examining his fingernails again. "Of course I tricked you. I tricked you a hundred times over. You just never knew it when it was happening." 

 

Castiel cleared his throat and glared at Crowley. "Tell me why you are doing this. Tell me why you've done everything! I didn't give you a reason to! I promised to stay quiet about everything, so what could possibly-"

 

"Naive!" Crowley accused, walking closer. "You've never known, because you and your brother are so well-off, which shouldn't surprise me. But there is so much money to be made in the figure skating world, Castiel. So much money from selling your story to newspapers, of playing the victim, of people watching you, expecting you to fail," he said, turning his back and shrugging. 

 

"Even if you had managed to win, which I highly doubt, considering the situation that you were in prior to finding your new...arrangements, it would have only been a delay of the inevitable. People were expecting you to fail and would have waited for you to do so," Crowley said, taking a few steps away from Castiel. 

 

"And now you're going to make sure that I, what? Become an example of those who would fight back against you?" Castiel asked, clenching his hands on the sheets. "Is it because I'm going to beat you at Worlds? Is that what this is about?" 

 

Crowley chuckled. "Worlds. I designed that routine for you to lose, Castiel. You would be close, but the point values are simply not high enough. If you do that routine, you will lose, and I had...a great deal riding on your guaranteed loss." 

 

Castiel swallowed, horror swamping over him as he stared at Crowley. "You, you built a routine that you knew would make me lose?" 

 

"Yes," Crowley said, spinning back around to stare at Castiel. "I did. You were going to lose, Jason would win, and I would make a great deal of money off of that loss." 

 

Crowley stalked closer and growled. "Then you had to grow a spine. And decide to leave me. No matter, the outcome would almost certainly be the same. Then you decide to pick up a new coach, one who had retired from the figure skating world. And in a matter of hours after meeting you, she is your coach. You were a liability I simply could not allow." 

 

"So now you take care of that liability?" Castiel asked, arching his eyebrow as he stared at Crowley. "What drug are you going to give me?" 

 

Crowley held up an empty syringe. "Strange, to know what is lethal to the human body. Did you know that injecting just this, empty air, into your bloodstream will be enough to kill you?" 

 

Castiel's mouth went dry and he stared at the syringe as Crowley advanced on him. "So you are going to kill me?" 

 

"I always intended to dispose of you in one way or another. Make a martyr of you, as it were. Of course, as your coach, the person you were with from your very youngest years, I would be able to sell your story, make my millions off of you, even in death," Crowley said, reaching out for Castiel's arm. 

 

"I would stop right there," Sam said, stepping out from behind the curtain of the next bed. He leveled his gun at Crowley and cocked it. "You move, I shoot." 

 

Crowley rolled his eyes and scoffed. "You're not going to shoot me." He took another step forward and froze as he felt the sting of a bullet go past his cheek. 

 

Sam held the gun steady, raising one slow eyebrow. "Everyone heard that shot. They are going to be here in seconds. The game is over Crowley. You lost." 

 

Castiel kept his hand clenched around the gun under his pillow until the police and FBI swarmed into the room. He reached out and Sam’s fingers were immediately tangled with his. He breathed and leaned into Sam, gripping his hand tightly. 

 

“It’s over,” Sam soothed, watching as they took Crowley away. “Everyone heard his confession, Cas. Everyone. He’s not going to be able to come after you ever again.” 

 

Castiel took another deep breath and just let him soak in the comfort from Sam. “I’m glad it’s over,” he whispered, watching as the FBI started to take Crowley away. Sam tensed under him a moment later and Castiel frowned, leaning back to look at him. “Sam?” 

 

Sam reached out and cupped Castiel’s face in his hand. “It’s over. All of it. The press will die down. You could, you could go home if you want.” 

 

Castiel frowned and stared up at Sam. “Home?” 

 

“Yeah,” Sam said his voice a little hoarse. “To New York. Back with Gabriel, with your friends, and I mean, I’m sure my Mom will-”

 

“Do you want me to leave?” Castiel asked, frowning and pulling his face back from Sam’s hand. 

 

“No!” Sam said immediately, his eyes wide. “I just, you’re-” 

 

Castiel made a grumpy noise and tugged on Sam’s hand, scooting back until there was enough room for Sam to climb on the bed with him. He snuggled into Sam’s chest and closed his eyes again. “You are an idiot, Sam.” 

 

Sam chuckled a little bit and pressed a kiss to the top of Castiel’s head. “I’m not likely to argue with you. Why am I an idiot?” 

 

“Because you think I want to leave,” Castiel said, yawning again. “Mary is here, Sam. Your rink is here. You, are here. Gabriel will be here, soon enough, I suspect.” 

 

Sam raised an eyebrow as Castiel cuddled into his chest again. “So, you’re staying?” 

 

“Yes,” Castiel said firmly. “However, I will not live at your mother’s house. We will rebuild your house. The few pieces I saw, I liked a great deal.” 

 

Sam blinked again. “Cas, did you just announce that you’re moving in?” 

 

Castiel hummed. “Once you have a house again, yes.” He opened an eye and leaned back to look at Sam. “Is that acceptable?” 

 

Sam leaned down and kissed Castiel. “You are the strangest person I have ever met.” 

 

Castiel tilted his head into the kiss and then pulled back, settling into the bed. “That was not a no. I would like to sleep now.” 

 

“You got it, Cas,” Sam agreed, yawning. He smiled and tightened his arm around Cas and dozed off. “Worlds is gonna be a cakewalk after all of this.” 

 

Castiel made a grumpy noise. “Don’t let your mother hear you.” 

 

Sam laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Criticisms welcome!
> 
> You can find me here: 
> 
> [Aria-Lerendeair ](http://aria-lerendeair.tumblr.com/)
> 
> You can also watch me write fics like this (and dozens of others) live! Follow me on Livestream for fics, shenanigans and a general all-around awesome time! http://new.livestream.com/accounts/7212317


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